Per-and polyfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) including polyfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and polyfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids are a large category of crucial environmental pollutants of global concern. Besides known PFAAs, numerous unknown species may exist in the environment, urgently needing discovery and characterization. This study implemented nontarget analysis for a group of novel PFAA pollutants, viz., iodinated PFAAs (I-PFAAs) in wastewater from a fluorochemical manufacturing park by liquid chromatography−high-resolution mass spectrometry in combination with an iodine-specific data-processing algorithm. The algorithm took into account the diagnostic fragment iodine ion (I − ) together with carbon and sulfur isotopologue distributions. In total, 18 I-PFAA formulas involving 21 congeners were identified. Semiquantification was conducted, and the total concentrations of I-PFAAs were 1.9−274.7 μg/L, indicating severe pollution of I-PFAAs in the wastewater. The determined concentrations along with predicted environmental behaviors and toxicities demonstrate that I-PFAAs merit further in-depth investigation. The analytical method including the instrumental analysis and data-processing algorithm can be extended to screening and identification of I-PFAAs in other matrices. Furthermore, the analysis results for the first time provide recognition on the occurrence, distribution features, and pollution status of I-PFAAs in the environment.
Halogenated organic additives (HOAs) are used in plastic components of various electrical products, potentially causing detrimental effects on the eco-environment and humans. Besides reported HOAs, many unknown HOAs may be present in electrical product plastics and urgently require identification and characterization. This study performed nontarget analysis and comprehensive characterization of HOAs in three typical electrical product plastics by nontarget analysis using gas chromatography− negative chemical ionization−high-resolution mass spectrometry in association with in-house-developed chlorine/bromine-specific data-processing algorithms. A total of 674 formulas of HOAs were identified in the plastics dismantled from three electrical products, among which 166, 362, and 146 were organochlorines, organobromines, and mix-chlorinated/brominated organic compounds, respectively. The identified HOAs were semiquantified, and the total concentrations of HOAs in individual plastics were 445−1549 ng/g. Organobromines showed the most species and the highest abundances in all of the plastics, of which the abundances accounted for 86.6−98.0% of the total HOAs. Partial HOAs (209 formulas) were tentatively structurally elucidated, which were classified into 13 groups, i.e., halogenated alkyl phenoxyethyls (H-alkyl phenoxyethyls), H-alkylbenzenes, H-benzenes, H-bisphenol A (H-BPAs), H-dioxins, H-diphenyl ethers, H-biphenyls/terphenyls, H-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, H-phenols, H-phenyl esters, H-phenyl-aldehydes/ketones, H-quinones, and an undefined group containing the HOAs such as dechlorane plus and chlordane. H-BPAs were the predominant HOAs in the plastics, showing relatively high concentrations (13−281 ng/g), and tetrabromobisphenol A was the most abundant H-BPA, with the concentrations of 9−196 ng/g. The comprehensive characterization results represent a holistic picture on the species features and abundance distributions of HOAs in electrical product plastics and provide an inventory of crucial HOAs worthy of concern. HOAs may migrate from plastics and release into the environment and are possibly an important source of halogenated organic pollutants in the environment, thus calling for further investigation and proper regulation.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) including polyfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and polyfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids are a large category of crucial environmental pollutants of global concern. Besides known PFAAs, numerous unknown species may exist in the environment, urgently needing discovery and characterization. This study implemented nontarget analysis for a group of novel PFAA pollutants, viz. iodinated PFAAs (I-PFAAs) in wastewater by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry in combination with an iodine-specific data-processing algorithm. The algorithm took into account of the diagnostic fragment iodine ion (I–) together with carbon and sulfur isotopologue distributions. In total, 21 I-PFAA formulas involving 24 congeners were identified. Semiquantification was conducted, and the total concentrations of I-PFAAs were 1.9-311.9 ng/mL, indicating non-negligible pollution of I-PFAAs in the wastewater. The determined concentrations along with predicted environmental behaviors and toxicities demonstrate that I-PFAAs merit further in-depth investigation. The analytical method including the instrumental analysis and data-processing algorithm can be extended to screening and identification of I-PFAAs in other matrices. Furthermore, the analysis results for the first time provide cognition on the occurrence features and pollution status of I-PFAAs in the environment.
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