You are here:
Determination of fluorotelomer alcohols in selected consumer products and preliminary investigation of their fate in the indoor environment
Citation:
Liu, X., Z. Guo, E. Folk, AND N. Roache. Determination of fluorotelomer alcohols in selected consumer products and preliminary investigation of their fate in the indoor environment. CHEMOSPHERE. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 129:81-86, (2015).
Impact/Purpose:
This research was to support OPPT's PFCs sagniificant new use rules (SNURs) and future regulatory developments on PFCs.
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established an ongoing effort to identify the major perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA) sources in nonoccupational indoor environments and characterize their transport and fate. This study determined the concentrations of perfluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), which are the precursors to PFCAs, in fifty-four consumer products collected from the U.S. open market in the years of 2011 and 2013. The products included carpet, commercial carpet-care liquids, household carpet/fabric-care liquids, treated apparel, treated home textiles, treated non-woven medical garments, floor waxes, food-contact paper, membranes for apparel, and thread-sealant tapes. The FTOHs quantified were 2-perfluorohexylethanol (6:2 FTOH), 2-perfluorooctylethanol (8:2 FTOH), and 2-perfluorodecylethanol (10:2 FTOH). The content of 6:2 FTOH ranged from non-delectable to 331 µg/g, 8:2 FTOH from non-delectable to 92 µg/g, and 10:2 FTOH from non-detectable to 24 µg/g. In addition, two consumer products from the home textile category were tested in the washing-drying process. One product from the treated apparel category and one from the home textile category were tested in the micro-chamber under elevated temperatures. The experimental data show that the washing-drying process with one cycle did not significantly reduce the FTOH concentrations in the tested consumer products. FTOH off-gassing was observed under accelerated aging conditions. However, the off-gassing rates at room temperature are expected to be low. Future tests should include air sampling to allow determination of the absolute emission rates at different temperatures. The results of this study should be informative to exposure assessment and risk management.
