Microbial degradation of polyfluoroalkyl chemicals in the environment: a review.
TL;DR: The knowledge gap caused by the lack of direct detection of precursor chemicals in environmental samples can be bridged by laboratory investigations of important precursors such as fluorotelomer-based compounds and perfluoroalkane sulfonamido derivatives, and research directions with regard to future biodegradation studies, environmental monitoring and ecotoxicological assessment are suggested.
About: This article is published in Environment International.The article was published on 2013-11-01. It has received 336 citations till now.
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TL;DR: This work quantifies global emissions of C4-C14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) homologues during the life-cycle of products based on perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), perfLUorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluarooctane sulfonyl fluoride (POSF), and fluorotelomer compounds, and addresses the uncertainties of the PFCA emissions by defining a lower
507 citations
Cites background from "Microbial degradation of polyfluoro..."
...For details and examples of POSF- and fluorotelomer-based precursors of PFCAs, see Frömel and Knepper (2010), Liu and Avendaño (2013), Young and Mabury (2010), and the references therein....
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TL;DR: This study proves the importance of screening and monitoring of consumer products for PFAS loads and the necessity for an action to regulate the use of PFASs, especially PFOA, in consumer products.
Abstract: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in a wide range of products of all day life. Due to their toxicological potential, an emerging focus is directed towards their exposure to humans. This study investigated the PFAS load of consumer products in a broad perspective. Perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (C4, C6-C8, C10-PFSA), carboxylic acids (C4-C14-PFCA) and fluorotelomer alcohols (4:2, 6:2; 8:2 and 10:2 FTOH) were analysed in 115 random samples of consumer products including textiles (outdoor materials), carpets, cleaning and impregnating agents, leather samples, baking and sandwich papers, paper baking forms and ski waxes. PFCA and PFSA were analysed by HPLC-MS/MS, whereas FTOH were detected by GC/CI-MS. Consumer products such as cleaning agents or some baking and sandwich papers show low or negligible PFSA and PFCA contents. On the other hand, high PFAS levels were identified in ski waxes (up to about 2000 μg/kg PFOA), leather samples (up to about 200 μg/kg PFBA and 120 μg/kg PFBS), outdoor textiles (up to 19 μg/m(2) PFOA) and some other baking papers (up to 15 μg/m(2) PFOA). Moreover, some test samples like carpet and leather samples and outdoor materials exceeded the EU regulatory threshold value for PFOS (1 μg/m(2)). A diverse mixture of PFASs can be found in consumer products for all fields of daily use in varying concentrations. This study proves the importance of screening and monitoring of consumer products for PFAS loads and the necessity for an action to regulate the use of PFASs, especially PFOA, in consumer products.
346 citations
Journal Article•
01 Jan 2005-Food Additives and Contaminants Part A-chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment
TL;DR: Data will be presented on the types of perfluoro chemicals that are used in food packaging and cookware and the migration or potential for migration of these chemicals into foods or food simulating liquids.
Abstract: Perfluorochemicals are widely used in the manufacturing and processing of a vast array of consumer goods, including electrical wiring, clothing, household and automotive products. Furthermore, relatively small quantities of perfluorochemicals are also used in the manufacturing of food-contact substances that represent potential sources of oral exposure to these chemicals. The most recognizable products to consumers are the uses of perfluorochemicals in non-stick coatings (polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) for cookware and also their use in paper coatings for oil and moisture resistance. Recent epidemiology studies have demonstrated the presence of two particular perfluorochemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in human serum at very low part per billion levels. These perfluorochemicals are biopersistent and are the subject of numerous studies investigating the many possible sources of human exposure. Among the various uses of these two chemicals, PFOS is a residual impurity in some paper coatings used for food contact and PFOA is a processing aid in the manufacture of PTFE used for many purposes including non-stick cookware. Little information is available on the types of perfluorochemicals that have the potential to migrate from perfluoro coatings into food. One obstacle to studying migration is the difficulty in measuring perfluorochemicals by routine conventional analytical techniques such as GC/MS or LC-UV. Many perfluorochemicals used in food-contact substances are not detectable by these conventional methods. As liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) develops into a routine analytical technique, potential migrants from perfluoro coatings can be more easily characterized. In this paper, data will be presented on the types of perfluoro chemicals that are used in food packaging and cookware. Additionally, research will be presented on the migration or potential for migration of these chemicals into foods or food simulating liquids. Results from migration tests show mg kg(-1) amounts of perfluoro paper additives/coatings transfer to food oil. Analysis of PTFE cookware shows residual amounts of PFOA in the low microgram kg(-1) range. PFOA is present in microwave popcorn bag paper at amounts as high as 300 microgram kg(-1).
303 citations
TL;DR: A baseline for understanding research needs to better develop treatment technologies for PFOA and PFOS in groundwater is provided and the development and demonstration of promising in situ treatment technologies at the pilot and full scale are demonstrated.
273 citations
TL;DR: The need for remediation of polyand perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is growing as a result of more regulatory attention to this new class of contaminants with diminishing water quality standards being promulgated, commonly in the parts per trillion range.
Abstract: Correspondence Ian Ross, Arcadis, 34 York Way, London N1 9AB, U.K. Email: ian.ross@arcadis.com Abstract The need for remediation of polyand perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is growing as a result of more regulatory attention to this new class of contaminants with diminishing water quality standards being promulgated, commonly in the parts per trillion range. PFASs comprise >3,000 individual compounds, but the focus of analyses and regulations has generally been PFASs termed perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), which are all extremely persistent, can be highly mobile, and are increasingly being reported to bioaccumulate, with understanding of their toxicology evolving. However, there are thousands of polyfluorinated “PFAA precursors”, which can transform in the environment and in higher organisms to create PFAAs as persistent daughter products.
270 citations
Cites background from "Microbial degradation of polyfluoro..."
...A large number of polyfluorinated PFAA precursor compounds biotransform to produce shorter chain PFAAs (Harding-Marjanovic et al., 2015; Liu & Mejia Avendano, 2013) than the length of the perfluoroalkyl chain in the original polyfluorinated compounds....
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...Biodegradation of PFASs has not yet been demonstrated (Colosi et al., 2009; Liu & Mejia Avendano, 2013; Luo et al., 2015; OchoaHerrera, Field, Luna-Velasco, & Sierra-Alvarez, 2016)....
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References
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TL;DR: An overview of PFASs detected in the environment, wildlife, and humans, and recommend clear, specific, and descriptive terminology, names, and acronyms for PFAS, can be found in this article.
Abstract: The primary aim of this article is to provide an overview of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) detected in the environment, wildlife, and humans, and recommend clear, specific, and descriptive terminology, names, and acronyms for PFASs. The overarching objective is to unify and harmonize communication on PFASs by offering terminology for use by the global scientific, regulatory, and industrial communities. A particular emphasis is placed on long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids, substances related to the long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids, and substances intended as alternatives to the use of the long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids or their precursors. First, we define PFASs, classify them into various families, and recommend a pragmatic set of common names and acronyms for both the families and their individual members. Terminology related to fluorinated polymers is an important aspect of our classification. Second, we provide a brief description of the 2 main production processes, electrochemical fluorination and telomerization, used for introducing perfluoroalkyl moieties into organic compounds, and we specify the types of byproducts (isomers and homologues) likely to arise in these processes. Third, we show how the principal families of PFASs are interrelated as industrial, environmental, or metabolic precursors or transformation products of one another. We pay particular attention to those PFASs that have the potential to be converted, by abiotic or biotic environmental processes or by human metabolism, into long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic or sulfonic acids, which are currently the focus of regulatory action. The Supplemental Data lists 42 families and subfamilies of PFASs and 268 selected individual compounds, providing recommended names and acronyms, and structural formulas, as well as Chemical Abstracts Service registry numbers. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2011;7:513–541. © 2011 SETAC
2,356 citations
TL;DR: Fish-eating, predatory animals such as mink and bald eagles contained concentrations of PFOS that were greater than the concentrations in their diets, suggesting that PFOS can bioaccumulate to higher trophic levels of the food chain.
Abstract: Here we report, for the first time, on the global distribution of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a fluorinated organic contaminant. PFOS was measured in the tissues of wildlife, including, fish, birds, and marine mammals. Some of the species studied include bald eagles, polar bears, albatrosses, and various species of seals. Samples were collected from urbanized areas in North America, especially the Great Lakes region and coastal marine areas and rivers, and Europe. Samples were also collected from a number of more remote, less urbanized locations such as the Arctic and the North Pacific Oceans. The results demonstrated that PFOS is widespread in the environment. Concentrations of PFOS in animals from relatively more populated and industrialized regions, such as the North American Great Lakes, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, were greater than those in animals from remote marine locations. Fisheating, predatory animals such as mink and bald eagles contained concentrations of PFOS that were greater than the concentrations in their diets. This suggests that PFOS can bioaccumulate to higher trophic levels of the food chain. Currently available data indicate that the concentrations of PFOS in wildlife are less than those required to cause adverse effects in laboratory animals.
2,334 citations
"Microbial degradation of polyfluoro..." refers background in this paper
...Detection of perfluoroalkyl acids in the environment, human and wildlife has been widely documented (Ahrens, 2011; Davis et al., 2007; Giesy and Kannan, 2001; Hansen et al., 2001, 2002; Higgins et al., 2005; Houde et al., 2011; Yamashita et al., 2005)....
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...…C8F17SO3H] and perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA, C7F15COOH] are among the most prominent organic pollutants in the environment, biota and human serum (Ahrens, 2011; Davis et al., 2007; Giesy and Kannan, 2001; Hansen et al., 2001, 2002; Higgins et al., 2005; Houde et al., 2011; Yamashita et al., 2005)....
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...Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid [PFOS, C8F17SO3H] and perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA, C7F15COOH] are among the most prominent organic pollutants in the environment, biota and human serum (Ahrens, 2011; Davis et al., 2007; Giesy and Kannan, 2001; Hansen et al., 2001, 2002; Higgins et al., 2005; Houde et al., 2011; Yamashita et al., 2005)....
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TL;DR: An overview of the recent advances in the toxicology and mode of action for PFAAs, and of the monitoring data now available for the environment, wildlife, and humans is provided.
2,175 citations
"Microbial degradation of polyfluoro..." refers background in this paper
...The bioaccumulation potential and toxicity demonstrated in laboratory animals suggest a cause of great concern for the environment and human health (Conder et al., 2008; Lau et al., 2007)....
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TL;DR: Transport pathways for PFCAs in the environment were reviewed, and it was concluded that, in addition to atmospheric transport/degradation of precursors, atmospheric and ocean water transport of the PFCA themselves could significantly contribute to their long-range transport.
Abstract: This review describes the sources, fate, and transport of perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) in the environment, with a specific focus on perfluorooctanoate (PFO). The global historical industry-wide emissions of total PFCAs from direct (manufacture, use, consumer products) and indirect (PFCA impurities and/or precursors) sources were estimated to be 3200−7300 tonnes. It was estimated that the majority (∼80%) of PFCAs have been released to the environment from fluoropolymer manufacture and use. Although indirect sources were estimated to be much less important than direct sources, there were larger uncertainties associated with the calculations for indirect sources. The physical−chemical properties of PFO (negligible vapor pressure, high solubility in water, and moderate sorption to solids) suggested that PFO would accumulate in surface waters. Estimated mass inventories of PFO in various environmental compartments confirmed that surface waters, especially oceans, contain the majority of PFO. The only environm...
2,035 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: Fluorinated repellents and soil retardants: theory of repellency fluorinated repepellents fluorinated soil retardant stain-resistant carpets as discussed by the authors, and their applications.
Abstract: Fluorinated surfactants: structure of fluorinated surfactants synthesis physical and chemical properties liquid-vapour and liquid-liquid boundaries surface tension solid-liquid interface fluorinated surfactants in solution structure of micelles and mesophases applications analysis of fluorinated surfactants toxicology and environmental aspects. Fluorinated repellents and soil retardants: theory of repellency fluorinated repellents fluorinated soil retardants stain-resistant carpets.
1,082 citations
"Microbial degradation of polyfluoro..." refers background in this paper
...), which functionalize the intermediates into the surfactants or polymers present in commercial products (Kissa, 2001)....
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...Of equal importance is the understanding of the environmental stability of key chemical linkages (ester, ether, urethane, etc.), which functionalize the intermediates into the surfactants or polymers present in commercial products (Kissa, 2001)....
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