TY - JOUR
T1 - Fluorine mass balance analysis and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere
AU - Lin, Huiju
AU - Taniyasu, Sachi
AU - Yamazaki, Eriko
AU - Wu, Rongben
AU - Lam, Paul K.S.
AU - Eun, Heesoo
AU - Yamashita, Nobuyoshi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022/8/5
Y1 - 2022/8/5
N2 - Given that only a small number of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are routinely monitored, levels of PFAS in the atmosphere may be underestimated. A protocol including analyses of target PFAS (n = 50), water-soluble fluoride, and total fluorine has been proposed and applied to atmospheric samples. The whole method recovery (including extraction recovery and sampling efficiency) of 90–110% were obtained for the majority of compounds (48/50) with low deviations between replicates (< 20%). Fluorotelomer alcohols were the most prevalent PFAS in the indoor air, while the outdoor air was dominated by the ultrashort-chain ionic PFAS (e.g., trifluoroacetic acid and perfluoropropanoic acid). Concentrations of organofluorine (OF) compounds calculated from the fluorine mass balance ranged from 1.74 ng F/m3 to 14.3 ng F/m3 and from 52.0 ng F/m3 to 1100 ng F/m3 in the particulate and gaseous phases, respectively, whereas only a minor proportion (around 1%) could be explained by target PFAS. In indoor air, OF compounds were observed in relatively high levels and with a shift to the fine particles (PM<1). Our results reveal a large proportion of unidentified OF signatures in the atmosphere and suggest the need to use multiple approaches to improve our understanding of airborne fluorinated substances.
AB - Given that only a small number of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are routinely monitored, levels of PFAS in the atmosphere may be underestimated. A protocol including analyses of target PFAS (n = 50), water-soluble fluoride, and total fluorine has been proposed and applied to atmospheric samples. The whole method recovery (including extraction recovery and sampling efficiency) of 90–110% were obtained for the majority of compounds (48/50) with low deviations between replicates (< 20%). Fluorotelomer alcohols were the most prevalent PFAS in the indoor air, while the outdoor air was dominated by the ultrashort-chain ionic PFAS (e.g., trifluoroacetic acid and perfluoropropanoic acid). Concentrations of organofluorine (OF) compounds calculated from the fluorine mass balance ranged from 1.74 ng F/m3 to 14.3 ng F/m3 and from 52.0 ng F/m3 to 1100 ng F/m3 in the particulate and gaseous phases, respectively, whereas only a minor proportion (around 1%) could be explained by target PFAS. In indoor air, OF compounds were observed in relatively high levels and with a shift to the fine particles (PM<1). Our results reveal a large proportion of unidentified OF signatures in the atmosphere and suggest the need to use multiple approaches to improve our understanding of airborne fluorinated substances.
KW - Gas-particle partitioning
KW - Organofluorine
KW - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
KW - Size-segregated distribution
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129499563&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129025
DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129025
M3 - Article
C2 - 35523095
AN - SCOPUS:85129499563
SN - 0304-3894
VL - 435
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials
JF - Journal of Hazardous Materials
M1 - 129025
ER -