Tubing material considerably affects measurement delays of gas-phase oxygenated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

J Air Waste Manag Assoc

Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA.

Published: May 2023

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants associated with negative health impacts. Assessments of tubing-related measurement bias for volatile PFAS are lacking, as gas-wall interactions with tubing can delay quantification of gas-phase analytes. We use online iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometry measurements to characterize tubing delays for three gas-phase oxygenated PFAS - 4:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (4:2 FTOH), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA). Perfluoroalkoxy alkane and high-density polyethylene tubing yielded relatively short absorptive measurement delays, with no clear dependence on tubing temperature or sampled humidity. Sampling through stainless steel tubing led to prolonged measurement delays due to reversible adsorption of PFAS to the tubing surface, with strong dependence on tubing temperature and sample humidification. Silcosteel tubing afforded shorter measurement delays than stainless steel due to diminished surface adsorption of PFAS. Characterizing and mitigating these tubing delays is crucial for reliable quantification of airborne PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants. Many PFAS are sufficiently volatile to exist as airborne pollutants. Measurements and quantification of airborne PFAS can be biased from material-dependent gas-wall interactions with sampling inlet tubing. Thus, characterizing these gas-wall interactions are crucial for reliably investigating emissions, environmental transport, and fates of airborne PFAS.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11701811PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2023.2174612DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

measurement delays
16
per- polyfluoroalkyl
12
polyfluoroalkyl substances
12
gas-wall interactions
12
airborne pfas
12
tubing
11
pfas
10
gas-phase oxygenated
8
substances pfas
8
pfas persistent
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!