High organofluorine concentrations in municipal wastewater affect downstream drinking water supplies for millions of Americans.

Wastewater receives per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from diverse consumer and industrial sources, and discharges are known to be a concern for drinking water quality. The PFAS family includes thousands of potential chemical structures containing organofluorine moieties. Exposures to a few well-studied PFAS, mainly perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA), have been associated with increased risk of many adverse health outcomes, prompting federal drinking water regulations for six compounds in 2024.

Characterizing the Areal Extent of PFAS Contamination in Fish Species Downgradient of AFFF Source Zones.

Most monitoring programs next to large per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) sources focus on drinking water contamination near source zones. However, less is understood about how these sources affect downgradient hydrological systems and food webs. Here, we report paired PFAS measurements in water, sediment, and aquatic biota along a hydrological gradient away from source zones contaminated by the use of legacy aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) manufactured using electrochemical fluorination.

Bioconcentration of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Precursors in Fathead Minnow Tissues Environmentally Exposed to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam-Contaminated Waters.

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with toxicity in wildlife and negative health effects in humans. Decades of fire training activity at Joint Base Cape Cod (MA, USA) incorporated the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which resulted in long-term PFAS contamination of sediments, groundwater, and hydrologically connected surface waters. To explore the bioconcentration potential of PFAS in complex environmental mixtures, a mobile laboratory was established to evaluate the bioconcentration of PFAS from AFFF-impacted groundwater by flow-through design.

Passive Sampler Derived Profiles and Mass Flows of Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFASs) across the Fram Strait in the North Atlantic.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of pollutants of high concern due to their ubiquity and negative human health impacts. The long-range marine transport of PFAS was observed during year-long deployments of passive tube samplers in the Fram Strait across three depth transects. Time weighted average concentrations ranged from 2.

Avoiding artifacts in the determination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance sorbent-water distribution.

Characterizing sorbent affinity for a target compound (described by sorbent-water distribution coefficient, K) is a necessary step in the sorbent selection and performance-testing process in the process of capturing aquatic contaminants. However, no standardized procedure exists to measure K, and studies display significant variations in set-up and performance. For per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), most K determinations employ batch experiments with small-scale water-sorbent mixtures, methanol-based spike of target compound(s), and analysis after assumed equilibrium, but methodological details of the above procedure differ and might cause artifacts in the determination of K.

Unregulated Active and Closed Textile Mills Represent a Significant Vector of PFAS Contamination into Coastal Rivers.

Despite concerns over the ubiquity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), little is known about the diversity of input sources to surface waters and their seasonal dynamics. Frequent use of PFAS in textiles means both active and closed textile mills require evaluation as PFAS sources. We deployed passive samplers at seven sites in an urban river and estuary adjacent to textile mills in Southern Rhode Island (USA) over 12 months.

Gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over the South China Sea: Implications for atmospheric transport under monsoon influences.

The seasonal monsoon variations have significant impact on the atmospheric transport of semi-volatile organic pollutants over the South China Sea (SCS). We analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) over the basin and island areas (Yongxing Island and Yongshu Island) in 2017. Gaseous PAHs (0.

Nitrifying Microorganisms Linked to Biotransformation of Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonamido Precursors from Legacy Aqueous Film-Forming Foams.

Drinking water supplies across the United States have been contaminated by firefighting and fire-training activities that use aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Much of the AFFF is manufactured using electrochemical fluorination by 3M. Precursors with six perfluorinated carbons (C6) and non-fluorinated amine substituents make up approximately one-third of the PFAS in 3M AFFF.

PFAS and Precursor Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Recreational Fish: Implications for Fish Advisories.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of fluorinated anthropogenic chemicals that include perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA), which are widely used in modern commerce. Many products and environmental samples contain abundant precursors that can degrade into terminal PFAA associated with adverse health effects. Fish consumption is an important dietary exposure source for PFAS that bioaccumulate in food webs.

The Air that we Breathe: Neutral and volatile PFAS in Indoor Air.

Sources of exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) include food, water, and given that humans spend typically 90% of our time indoors, air and dust. Quantifying PFAS prevalent indoors, such as neutral, volatile PFAS, and estimating their exposure risk to humans is thus important. To accurately measure these compounds indoors, polyethylene (PE) sheets were employed and validated as passive detection tools, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Poly- and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances in Air and Water from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh hosts extensive textile manufacturing, for some of which per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been used to impart water and dirt repellency, among other things. Textile waste emissions to the atmosphere and discharge into rivers and other bodies of water could present a significant concern for human and ecosystem health, but there is little information on PFAS in Bangladesh. To assess the presence of ionic PFAS and their precursors in air and water from Dhaka, Bangladesh, polyethylene sheets were deployed for 28 days as passive samplers for neutral PFAS in outdoor air and water, while ionic PFAS were measured from discrete water grabs.

Spatial distribution and air-water exchange of organophosphate esters in the lower Great Lakes.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been detected at elevated concentrations in the Great Lakes region, dwarfing other flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), as chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). This prompted us to deploy polyethylene (PE) passive samplers in air and water column of the lower Great Lake region (Lake Erie and Lake Ontario) to detect gaseous and dissolved OPEs, evaluate their occurrence and spatial distribution, and estimate their air-water gas exchange fluxes. The median concentration of the total dissolved and gaseous phase OPEs detected (ΣOPEs) were 95 ng L and 404 pg m, respectively, during April-November 2014.

Passive Sampling of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Four Coastal Aquatic Systems of Puerto Rico: A Pilot Study.

Little is known about the presence and effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Puerto Rico's waters. Four coastal aquatic systems were investigated using low-density polyethylene passive sampling for PCBs and OCPs in water and its overlying air. The highest total freely dissolved and gaseous concentrations of PCBs were found in Guánica Bay, with 4000 pg/L and 270 pg/m, respectively.

Linking past uses of legacy SVOCs with today's indoor levels and human exposure.

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) emitted from consumer products, building materials, and indoor and outdoor activities can be highly persistent in indoor environments. Human exposure to and environmental contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was previously reported in a region near a former PCB production facility in Slovakia. However, we found that the indoor residential PCB levels did not correlate with the distance from the facility.

Challenges in the Analysis of Novel Flame Retardants in Indoor Dust: Results of the INTERFLAB 2 Interlaboratory Evaluation.

The Interlaboratory Study of Novel Flame Retardants (INTERFLAB 2) was conducted by 20 laboratories in 12 countries to test the precision and accuracy of the analysis of 24 "novel" flame retardants (NFRs). Laboratories analyzed NFRs in injection-ready test mixtures, in extracts of residential dust, and in residential dust to evaluate the influence of dust handling and extraction. For test mixtures, mean reported concentrations of PBT, PBEB, EH-TBB, TBBPA, TBDP-TAZTO, TBOEP, α-TBCO, β-DBE-DBCH, and total HBCDD differed by >25% relative to reference values.

PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in indoor environments - A comparison of indoor contamination in Canada and Czech Republic.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are restricted compounds that are ubiquitously detected in the environment, including indoor matrices such as air and residential dust. We report concentrations of PCBs and selected OCPs in indoor air and dust from homes in Canada (23 homes) and Czech Republic (20 homes). Indoor air concentrations of PCBs and OCPs were ∼10 times higher than that outdoors.

Changes in Flame Retardant and Legacy Contaminant Concentrations in Indoor Air during Building Construction, Furnishing, and Use.

A newly constructed university building was selected for targeted assessment of changes in the levels of flame retardants and legacy contaminants during the installation of building equipment, furniture, electronics, and first year of building use. Indoor air samples were collected during several periods of intensive equipment installation to determine a relationship between newly introduced equipment and changes in the concentrations and profiles of contaminants in indoor air. Samples were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs), and new types of flame retardants: brominated (BFRs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs).

Legacy and alternative halogenated flame retardants in human milk in Europe: Implications for children's health.

In this study, 10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 19 alternative halogenated flame retardants (AFRs) were determined in >450 human milk samples across three European countries, representing northern, western and eastern Europe. This study provides first insights into the occurrence of selected AFRs in mother milk samples and compares them among three European countries. Sums of median concentrations of the most frequently detected PBDEs were 2.

Organophosphate esters flame retardants in the indoor environment.

Concentrations of 13 organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPEs) were measured in air, dust and window wipes from 63 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic and the United States in the spring and summer of 2013 to look for abundances, differences among regions, and partitioning behavior. In general, we observed the highest concentrations for halogenated OPEs, particularly TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP, and also non-halogenated TPHP. Differences between regions strongly depended on the matrix.

Screening for halogenated flame retardants in European consumer products, building materials and wastes.

To fulfill national and international fire safety standards, flame retardants (FRs) are being added to a wide range of consumer products and building materials consisting of flammable materials like plastic, wood and textiles. While the FR composition of some products and materials has been identified in recent years, the limited global coverage of the data and the large diversity in consumer products necessitates more information for an overall picture of the FR composition in common products/materials. To address this issue, 137 individual samples of various consumer products, building materials and wastes were collected.

An effective clean-up technique for GC/EI-HRMS determination of developmental neurotoxicants in human breast milk.

The increasing number of children suffering from developmental disorders has raised questions regarding their association with the presence of environmental contaminants in mothers and children. We therefore developed a new method for the determination of 78 proven and potential developmental neurotoxicants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, legacy pesticides, pyrethroids, and old and new halogenated flame retardants in breast milk. The essential part of sample preparation was dialysis as a non-destructive clean-up step which was newly used at 10 °C and showed more efficient lipid removal (up to 96%) than the conventional methods such as gel permeation chromatography or freezing-lipid filtration and thus ensured low limits of detection (LOD) by reducing the sample volume prior to injection.

Screening for perfluoroalkyl acids in consumer products, building materials and wastes.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of important chemical compounds with unique and useful physico-chemical properties, widely produced and used in many applications. However, due to the toxicity, bioaccumulation and long-range transport potential of certain PFASs, they are of significant concern to scientists and policy makers. To assess human exposure to PFASs, it is necessary to understand the concentrations of these emerging contaminants in our environment, and particularly environments where urban population spend most of their time, i.

Seasonality and indoor/outdoor relationships of flame retardants and PCBs in residential air.

This study is a systematic assessment of different houses and apartments, their ages and renovation status, indoors and outdoors, and in summer vs. winter, with a goal of bringing some insight into the major sources of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and their variability. Indoor and outdoor air concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and novel flame retardants (NFRs) were determined at 17-20 homes in Czech Republic in winter and summer.