Widespread Occurrence of Non-Extractable Fluorine in Artificial Turfs from Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are frequently used in the production of rubber and plastic, but little is known about the identity, concentration, or prevalence of PFAS in these products. In this study, a representative sample of plastic- and rubber-containing artificial turf (AT) fields from Stockholm, Sweden, were subjected to total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and target PFAS analysis. TF was observed in all 51 AT samples (range: 16-313, 12-310, and 24-661 µg F/g in backing, filling, and blades, respectively), while EOF and target PFAS occurred in <42% of all samples (<200 and <1 ng F/g, respectively). A subset of samples extracted with water confirmed the absence of fluoride. Moreover, application of the total oxidizable precursor assay revealed negligible perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) formation across all three sample types, indicating that the fluorinated substance(s) in AT are not low molecular weight PFAA-precursors. Collectively, these results point towards polymeric organofluorine (e.g. fluoroelastomer, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride), consistent with patent literature. The combination of poor extractability and recalcitrance towards advanced oxidation suggests that the fluorine in AT does not pose an imminent risk to users. However, concerns remain surrounding the production and end-of-life of ATs, as well as the contribution of filling to environmental microplastic contamination.

Identification and quantification of fluorinated polymers in consumer products by combustion ion chromatography and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

“…30 Moreover, a series of internal validation and interlaboratory comparisons have conrmed total uorine measurements to be accurate, reproducible, and in good concordance with other laboratories across a wide range of matrices. 16,17,22,31 Ongoing QC in the present work involved (at minimum) triplicate combustions of boat blanks, a PFOS/PFOA standard and a certied reference material (CRM, BCR-461, uorine in clay) for each batch of samples. Measurements of the CRM showed good agreement with the reference value (568 ± 60 mg of F kg −1 ), with an average recovery of 91 ± 8%, indicating good method accuracy and precision.…”

“…12 Total uorine determination, for example by particleinduced gamma ray emission spectroscopy (PIGE) or combustion ion chromatography (CIC), is commonly used for quantifying uorinated polymers across all consumer product categories. [15][16][17][18] However, these techniques may be subject to false positives from inorganic uorine 19 and more importantly, do not offer structural information. The former problem can be overcome by measuring extractable organic uorine (EOF), but this approach also overlooks structure.…”

Widespread Occurrence of Non-Extractable Fluorine in Artificial Turfs from Stockholm, Sweden

“…A preprint version of this work is available on chemRxiv. 49 ■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Oskar Sandblom (Stockholm University) is thanked for laboratory assistance. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Grant Agreement 860665.…”