Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that often co-occur with heavy metals. Despite their prevalence, the mobility of PFAS in complex, multicomponent systems, particularly at the molecular scale, remains poorly understood. The vast diversity of PFAS and their low concentrations alongside anthropogenic and natural substances underscore the need for integrating mechanistic insights into the sorption models. This study explores the influence of metal cations (Cu(II), Cd(II), and Fe(II)) on the adsorption of four common PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFDA, and GenX) onto goethite (α-FeOOH), a common iron (oxyhydr)oxide in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. PFAS adsorption was highly dependent on the PFAS type, pH, and metal ion concentration, with a surface complexation model effectively predicting these interactions. Cu(II) and Cd(II) enhanced PFOS and PFDA adsorption via ternary complexation while slightly reducing PFOA and GenX adsorption. Under anoxic conditions, Fe(II) significantly increased the adsorption of all PFAS, showing reactivity greater than those of Cu(II) and Cd(II). Additionally, natural organic matter increased PFAS mobility, although metal cations in groundwater may counteract this by enhancing PFAS retention. These findings highlight the key role of metal cations in PFAS transport and offer critical insights for predicting PFAS behavior at oxic-anoxic environmental interfaces.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c10068 | DOI Listing |
J Mass Spectrom
February 2025
FTMS Laboratory for Human Health Research, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of emerging contaminants that have been in use industrially since the 1940s. Their long-term and extensive commercial use has led to their ubiquitous presence in the environment. The ability to measure the bioconcentration and distribution of PFAS in the tissue of aquatic organisms helps elucidate the persistence of PFAS as well as environmental impacts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Technol
January 2025
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Despite advancements in high-resolution screening techniques, the identification of novel perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remains challenging without prior structural information. In view of this, we proposed and implemented a new data-driven algorithm to calculate spectral similarity among PFAS, facilitating the generation of molecular networks to screen for unknown compounds. Using this approach, 81 PFAS across 12 distinct classes were identified in soil samples collected near an industrial park in Shandong Province, China, including the first reported occurrence of 12 iodine-substituted PFAS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Agric Food Chem
January 2025
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Resources Utilization and Protection, State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large class of fluorinated chemicals used in various industrial and agrochemical products such as fluorinated benzoylurea (FBU) pesticides. Initiated from an incidental and preliminary finding of three high-abundance FBUs in fish, this study implemented nontarget analysis and characterization for FBUs together with their analogues and transformation products (TPs) in fish using liquid chromatography, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and chemical species-specific algorithms. A total of 23 FBU-relevant compounds were found and tentatively/accurately elucidated with structures, including 18 PFASs and 5 non-PFAS compounds, of which 4 were original FBUs, 8 were FBU analogues, and 11 were FBU-TPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Technol
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
The deleterious health implications of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely recognized. Females, in contrast to males, exhibit unique pathways for PFAS exposure and excretion, leading to complex health outcomes. The health status of females is largely influenced by hormone-related processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Epidemiol
February 2025
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health, University of California, Irvine, California.
Background: Few studies have investigated associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and childhood cancers. Detectable levels of PFAS in California water districts were reported in the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 2013-2015.
Methods: Geocoded residences at birth were linked to corresponding water district boundaries for 10,220 California-born children (aged 0-15 years) diagnosed with cancers (2000-2015) and 29,974 healthy controls.
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