Field‐testing polyethylene passive samplers for the detection of neutral polyfluorinated alkyl substances in air and water

Abstract

Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), perfluorooctane-sulfonamidoethanols (FOSEs), perfluorooctane-sulfonamides (FOSAs) and other poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are common and ubiquitous by-products of industrial telomerization processes. They can degrade into various perfluorinated carboxylic acids, which are persistent organic contaminants of concern. This study assessed the use of polyethylene (PE) passive samplers as a sampling tool for neutral PFAS precursors during field-deployments in air and water. A wide range of neutral PFASs was detected in PE sheets exposed in waste water treatment effluents in August 2017. Equilibration times for most neutral PFASs was on the order of 1–2 weeks. Based on known sampling rates, the partitioning constants between PE and water, KPEw, were derived. Log Kpew values were mostly in the range of 3 – 4.5, with greatest values for 8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH and n-ethyl-FOSE. To test the utility of PE for gas-phase compounds, parallel active and passive sampling was performed in ambient air in Providence (RI, USA) in April 2016. Most PFASs equilibrated within 2–7 days. Greatest concentrations in PE samplers were detected for MeFOSE and EtFOSE. Polyethylene-air partitioning constants, log KpEa, were ~ 7–8 for the FTOHs, and approached 9 for n-methyl-FOSA and n-methyl-FOSE. PE sheets showed promise as a passive sampling approach for neutral PFASs in air and water.

Applications for Passive Sampling of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Water—A Review

“…Many of these studies have monitored the dispersal of produced water from offshore oil and gas installations, including alongside biota [137][138][139][140][141][142][143]. Other discharges monitored, resulted from paper mills (dioxins and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs)) [144,145], wastewater treatment (triclocarban, synthetic musk's, PCBs and pesticides) [146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154], smelters (dioxins) [114] and human settlements in Antarctica (PAHs) [155]. Dispersal of pollutants resulting from activities in the water column included, salvage operations (PAHs) [156], oil spills (PAHs) [157] and pisciculture (PCBs and pesticides) [158,159].…”

“…[ [146][147][148] Lake waters PAHs LDPE deployed in water and the overlying atmosphere at locations around the lower Great Lakes (USA) to monitor the freely dissolved and gaseous concentration of PAH and determine the influence of proximity to sources (population centers and wastewater treatment works effluent) and impact of vectors (river discharges and precipitation) on measured concentrations.…”

Operationalizing the Exposome Using Passive Silicone Samplers

“…PFAS and many other CECs are ionizable, and partition between the gas and particulate phase depending on interaction with aqueous aerosols and matrices, resulting in unique interactions with PSDs dissimilar from nonpolar SVOCs and persistent organic pollutants [102]. Novel PSD designs have been developed to characterize PFAS and other target CECs in indoor air [103], outdoor air, [104], and aqueous matrices [105,106]. Limited research has paired untargeted LC-HRMS analyses with PSD deployment of any kind [107], though active sampler applications with untargeted analysis show important airborne exposures from both biotic and abiotic sources can be detected using LC-HRMS and combined with biological endpoints, thus predicting disease risk [29,108].…”

Poly‐ and Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances in Air and Water from Dhaka, Bangladesh

“…Passive sampling, which can measure the concentration of freely dissolved contaminants through time, has widely been accepted as an effective detection tool for trace organic compounds in the atmosphere and water (Lohmann, 2011; Lohmann et al, 2012). Single‐phase polymers, such as polyethylene (PE) sheets, have been able to accumulate a wide range of nonpolar and moderately polar contaminants that are in the gas phase or dissolved in water (Dixon‐Anderson & Lohmann, 2018; Morales‐McDevitt et al, 2021). In addition, PE sheets are low‐cost, easy to handle, and easily transported and deployed (Lohmann et al, 2012).…”