Residential Garden Produce Harvested Near a Fluorochemical Manufacturer in North Carolina Can Be An Important Fluoroether Exposure Pathway.

Dietary intake can be an important exposure route to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Little is known about the bioaccumulation of emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs) in garden produce from PFAS-impacted communities and the associated dietary exposure risk. In this study, 53 produce samples were collected from five residential gardens near a fluorochemical manufacturer.

Adsorbability of a wide range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on granular activated carbon, ion exchange resin, and surface modified clay.

The increased detection of understudied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental matrices has highlighted the need to evaluate the treatability of a wide-range of PFAS by sorption-based processes. This study investigated the efficacy of three commercial adsorbents (i.e.

Quantitative assessment of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)-impacted soils: a comparison of analytical protocols.

Quantitatively assessing all per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in an environmental sample, particularly soils impacted by aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs), has proven to be a challenge. To make such an assessment, a comprehensive sample processing procedure and analytical tool must be used. However, doubts remain whether current analytical tools such as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) with targeted quantitation and semi-quantitative analysis of suspects (Semi-Q HRMS) or total organic fluorine (TOF) are capable of accurately quantifying all non-polymeric PFASs in a sample.

Non-Fickian transport processes accelerate the movement of PFOS in unsaturated media: An experimental and modelling study.

The transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) through unsaturated source-zone soils is a critical yet poorly understood aspect of their environmental behavior. To date, most experimental studies have only focused on the equilibrium or non-equilibrium partitioning of PFASs to the air-water interface, or solid-phase based equilibrium or non-equilibrium transport. Currently, there are discrepancies between air-water interfacial partitioning (K) results measured using a drainage-based column method (which supports a Langmuir isotherm) when compared to measurements from alternative experimental methods (which support a Freundlich isotherm).

Silicone Wristbands as a Personal Passive Sampler to Evaluate Indoor Exposure to Volatile and Non-volatile PFASs.

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) primarily occurs via consumption of contaminated drinking water and food; however, individuals can also be exposed dermally and via inhalation indoors. This study developed an analytical method for measuring volatile PFASs in silicone wristbands and used them to assess personal exposure in a Midwestern community ( = 87). Paired samples of blood and wristbands were analyzed for PFASs using LC-MS/MS and GC-HRMS to monitor both non-volatile and volatile PFASs.

Flow rate and kinetics of trace organic contaminants removal in black carbon-amended engineered media filters for improved stormwater runoff treatment.

Urban stormwater runoff is considered a key component of future water supply portfolios for water-stressed cities. Beneficial use of runoff, such as capture for recharge of drinking water aquifers, relies on improved stormwater treatment. Many dissolved constituents, including metals and trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) such as hydrophilic pesticides and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are of concern due to their toxicity, persistence, prevalence in stormwater runoff, and poor removal in conventional stormwater control measures.

The complex effect of dissolved organic carbon on desorption of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances from soil under alkaline conditions.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are contaminants of emerging concern, yet the understanding of factors that control their leaching and release from contaminated soils remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the impact of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the release of PFASs-specifically, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)from soils contaminated by aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Batch aqueous leaching experiments were conducted on AFFF-contaminated soils under alkaline solution conditions (pH 9.

Nontarget Discovery of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Sulfonyl Halides in Soils by Integration of Derivatization and Specific Fragment-Based Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Screening.

Though long recognized as synthetic precursors to other poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), most poly- and perfluoroalkyl sulfonyl halides (PASXs) cannot be directly measured and have generally received minimal attention. Inspired by the redox reaction between sulfonyl halide groups and -toluenethiol in organic chemistry, we developed a novel nontarget analysis strategy for PASXs by intergrating derivatization and specific fragment-based liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry screening for / 82.961 [SOF] and / 95.

High-Resolution Depth-Discrete Analysis of PFAS Distribution and Leaching for a Vadose-Zone Source at an AFFF-Impacted Site.

The long-term leaching of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within the vadose zone of an AFFF application site for which the depth to groundwater is approximately 100 m was investigated by characterizing the vertical distribution of PFAS in a high spatial resolution. The great majority (99%) of PFAS mass resides in the upper 3 m of the vadose zone. The depths to which each PFAS migrated, quantified by moment analysis, is an inverse function of molar volume, demonstrating chromatographic separation.

Sulfonamide Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Can Impact Microorganisms Used in Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Trichloroethene Bioremediation.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) can hinder bioremediation of co-contaminants such as trichloroethene (TCE) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). Anaerobic dechlorination can require bioaugmentation of , and for BTEX, oxygen is often sparged to stimulate in situ aerobic biodegradation. We tested PFAS inhibition to TCE and BTEX bioremediation by exposing an anaerobic TCE-dechlorinating coculture, an aerobic BTEX-degrading enrichment culture, and an anaerobic toluene-degrading enrichment culture to -dimethyl perfluorohexane sulfonamido amine (AmPr-FHxSA), perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), or nonfluorinated surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

PFAS Porewater concentrations in unsaturated soil: Field and laboratory comparisons inform on PFAS accumulation at air-water interfaces.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) leaching from unsaturated soils impacted with aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) is an environmental challenge that remains difficult to measure and predict. Complicating measurements and predictions of this process is a lack of understanding between the PFAS concentrations measured in a collected environmental unsaturated soil sample, and the PFAS concentrations measured in the corresponding porewater using field-deployed lysimeters. The applicability of bench-scale batch testing to assess this relationship also remains uncertain.

Quantification of long-chain, short-chain, and ultrashort-chain liquid chromatography-amenable PFASs in water: Evaluation of approaches and tradeoffs for AFFF-impacted water.

The widespread use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for firefighting and firefighter training has led to extensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination in the environment. Challenges remain in the analytical determination of PFASs via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), particularly when attempting to include ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and longer-chain anionic and zwitterionic PFASs in a single direct injection. In this study, we assessed the performance of three analytical LC columns (C18, JJ, and Acclaim columns) to separate targeted and suspect PFASs in AFFF-impacted water samples collected from five sites.

New PFASs Identified in AFFF Impacted Groundwater by Passive Sampling and Nontarget Analysis.

Monitoring contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water systems impacted by aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) typically addresses a few known PFAS groups. Given the diversity of PFASs present in AFFFs, current analytical approaches do not comprehensively address the range of PFASs present in these systems. A suspect-screening and nontarget analysis (NTA) approach was developed and applied to identify novel PFASs in groundwater samples contaminated from historic AFFF use.

Hydrothermal Alkaline Treatment (HALT) of Foam Fractionation Concentrate Derived from PFAS-Contaminated Groundwater.

While foam fractionation (FF) process has emerged as a promising technology for removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from contaminated groundwater, management of the resulting foam concentrates with elevated concentrations of PFASs (e.g., >1 g/L) remains a challenge.

Predicting PFAS and Hydrophilic Trace Organic Contaminant Transport in Black Carbon-Amended Engineered Media Filters for Improved Stormwater Runoff Treatment.

Improved stormwater treatment is needed to prevent toxic and mobile contaminant transport into receiving waters and allow beneficial use of stormwater runoff. In particular, safe capture of stormwater runoff to augment drinking water supplies is contingent upon removing dissolved trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) not captured by conventional stormwater control measures. This study builds upon a prior laboratory-based column study investigating biochar and regenerated activated carbon (RAC) amendment for removing hydrophilic trace organic contaminants (HiTrOCs) and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from stormwater runoff.

Target and Suspect Screening Integrated with Machine Learning to Discover Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Source Fingerprints.

This study elucidates per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) fingerprints for specific PFAS source types. Ninety-two samples were collected from aqueous film-forming foam impacted groundwater (AFFF-GW), landfill leachate, biosolids leachate, municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent (WWTP), and wastewater effluent from the pulp and paper and power generation industries. High-resolution mass spectrometry operated with electrospray ionization in negative mode was used to quantify up to 50 target PFASs and screen and semi-quantify up to 2,266 suspect PFASs in each sample.

Sorption affinity and mechanisms of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with commercial sorbents: Implications for passive sampling.

Effective monitoring tools, including passive samplers, are essential for the wide range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic matrices. However, knowledge of the extent and mechanisms of PFASs sorption with sorbents in a passive sampling context is limited. To address this, sorption behavior of 45 anionic, neutral and zwitterionic PFASs ranging in perfluorocarbon chain length (C-C) and functional groups with 11 different commercial sorbents (cross-linked β-cyclodextrin polymers, activated carbon, anion exchange (AE), cation exchange, hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) and non-polar) was investigated.