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DETERMINATION OF PERFLUOROCARBOXYLATES IN GROUNDWATER IMPACTED BY FIRE-FIGHTING ACTIVITY. (R821195)
Citation:
Moody, C. A. AND J. A. Field. DETERMINATION OF PERFLUOROCARBOXYLATES IN GROUNDWATER IMPACTED BY FIRE-FIGHTING ACTIVITY. (R821195). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 33:2800-2806, (1999).
Description:
Perfluorinated surfactants are used in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)
formulations, which are used to extinguish hydrocarbon-fuel fires. Virtually
nothing is known about the occurrence of perfluorinated surfactants in the
environment, in particular, at fire-training areas and emergency response sites
where AFFF entered groundwater without prior treatment. Strong anion exchange
Empore disks were used to extract perfluorocarboxylates from groundwater
collected from fire-training facilities located on Naval Air Station Fallon, NV,
and Tyndall Air Force Base, FL. The carboxylates were simultaneously eluted from
the disks and derivatized to their methyl esters for direct analysis by gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry. Perfluorocarboxylates containing six to eight
carbons were detected in groundwater collected from the two field sites with
total concentrations ranging from 125 to 7090 src="/ncer/pubs/images/mgr.gif">g/L. The detection of perfluorocarboxylates at
field sites after 7-10 years of inactivity indicates their potential utility as
markers for delineating groundwater impacted by fire-fighting activity.