Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occur in the environment as mixtures, yet mixture toxicity remains poorly understood. Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are a common source of PFAS. Our objective was to examine chronic effects of a complex PFAS mixture on amphibian growth and development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe exceptional thermal and chemical stability and the amphiphilicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have resulted in widespread use and subsequent contamination in environmental media and biota. Concerns surrounding toxicity have led to numerous animal-based toxicity studies. Due to the ubiquity of PFAS and the low parts per trillion (ppt) health advisory levels for drinking water, several contamination elimination protocols have been implemented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ongoing contamination of groundwater with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has resulted in a global and rapidly growing interest in PFAS groundwater remediation. Preferred technologies that lead to PFAS destruction are often limited by not addressing all PFAS, being energy-intensive or not being suited for in-situ application. We developed nNiFe-activated carbon (AC) nanocomposites and demonstrated varying degrees of PFAS reduction and fluoride generation with these nanocomposites in batch reactors for several PFAS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFinished biosolids were collected and characterized from seven municipal water resource recovery facilities. Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for the 54 quantified in the biosolids ranged from 323 ± 14.1 to 1100 ± 43.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS ) are important atmospheric gases photochemically generated from organic sulfur precursors in sunlit natural waters. This study examined these processes by evaluating COS and CS photoproduction from dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM was added because it photochemically produces various reactive intermediates ( CDOM*, OH, O , and H O ) potentially involved in these reaction pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS2) are important atmospheric gases that are formed from organic sulfur precursors present in natural waters when exposed to sunlight. However, it remains unclear how specific water constituents, such as dissolved organic matter (DOM), affect COS and CS2 formation. To better understand the role of DOM, irradiation experiments were conducted in O2-free synthetic waters containing four different DOM isolates, acquired from freshwater to open ocean sources, and the sulfur-based amino acid, cysteine (CYS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDegradation of linear (L) and branched (Br) perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) using nNiFe° particles supported on activated carbon (AC) and heat is demonstrated for the first time and with several lines of evidence. At 60 °C, PFOS degradation plateaued at 50 ± 6%, while at 50 °C, 94 ± 4.1 % PFOS transformed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS) are volatile sulfur compounds that are critical precursors to sulfate aerosols, which enable climate cooling. COS and CS stem from the indirect photolysis of organic sulfur precursors in natural waters, but currently the chemistry behind how this occurs remains unclear. This study evaluated how different organic sulfur precursors, water quality constituents, which can form important reactive intermediates (RIs), and temperature affected COS and CS formation.
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