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Identification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from samples near US industrial manufacturing and use facilities
Citation:
Strynar, M., J. McCord, A. Lindstrom, J. Washington, J. Offenberg, J. Ryan, T. Riedel, D. Tabor, I. George, T. Buckley, M. Medina-Vera, A. Gillespie, E. Bergman, S. Goodrow, E. Peduto Jr., B. Kernen, AND C. Beahm. Identification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from samples near US industrial manufacturing and use facilities. Spring 2019 ACS National Meeting & Expo, Orlando, FL, March 31 - April 01, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
States are trying to understand contemporary PFAS emissions and use. Using high resolution mass spectrometry novel PFAS have been identified. The abstract highlights the PFAS on-going work with the states of New Hampshire and New Jersey in identifying and providing data on novel PFAS in select matrices. This knowledge assists states in their decision making related to PFAS.
Description:
Legacy PFAS such as PFOS and PFOA have been measured in a variety of media from around or near industrial use and manufacturing facilities for many years. As regulatory efforts have curbed production and use of select PFAS, replacement PFAS have taken their place. While still dealing with legacy PFAS contamination, regulatory authorities are tasked with understanding contemporary PFAS emissions and use. Formerly, high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been used to demonstrate identification of novel PFAS around an industrial manufacturing site in North Carolina. This analytical capacity has led to new collaborative efforts with state regulatory authorities (NHDEP, NJDES) to better understand the extent of PFAS contamination around industrial sites and current PFAS emissions. Through a select set of environmental (soil, water, vegetation) and emission samples (stack char, EPA Modified Method 5 (MM5) sample train, emission control technology) new PFAS have been identified at/near industrial sources. Using previously published HRMS methods (negative mass defect, repeating polyfluoro subunits, homologous series) novel PFAS have been identified. This talk will focus on the protocol for identification, data processing and novel PFAS compounds identified in these select efforts. As every industrial site has a unique set of processes and analytes, general HRMS approaches are best applied for analyte discovery. Once analytes are known, regulatory authorities are better suited to make informed decisions.