Abstract
The dust on indoor and outdoor surfaces of the window glasses were collected using sterile cotton balls in 11 cities from China. Two sampling campaigns were conducted with the time interval of 7 days to investigate the accumulation especially during the Spring festival holidays. Twenty-nine perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) were quantified to investigate concentration, composition, and toddlers' exposure. The concentrations of ∑PFAA ranged from no detection (nd) to 43 ng/m2 (mean 8.9 ± 10 ng/m2). Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was detected in 78% samples and accounted for 55 ± 21% of ∑PFAA concentrations. 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) were detected in more than 50% samples indicating the use of alternatives. Fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (FTCA) and fluorotelomer unsaturated acid (FTUCA) were found in the dust, implying the degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH). The highest concentration of ∑PFAA (43 ng/m2) was found in outdoor dust from Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. Higher ∑PFAA concentrations were found in indoor dust than outdoor in 6 paired samples (3 from Feb. 14 and 3 from Feb. 21). In Tianjin and Handan, the concentrations of ∑PFAA from outdoor surfaces were higher in sampling campaign I (SC I, Feb. 21) than in sampling campaign II (SC II, Feb. 14), implying intensive outdoor release. The exposure of 2-year-old toddlers to PFAA via hand-to-mouth ingestion and dermal absorption was estimated; the mean values of intake were 2.1 and 1.5 pg/kg body weight, respectively, assuming an exposure time of 1 h.
Highlights
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) are artificial chemicals that possess characteristics of thermal resistance, physical and chemical stability, and repellency of water and oil (Giesy and Kannan 2002, OECD 2018)
Twenty-two PFAA were detected in 40 samples of dust from glass, with ∑PFAA concentrations ranging from nd to 43 ng/m2
Twenty-two PFAAs were detected in dust collected from window glass from 11 Chinese cities
Summary
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) are artificial chemicals that possess characteristics of thermal resistance, physical and chemical stability, and repellency of water and oil (Giesy and Kannan 2002, OECD 2018). PFAA have been widely used for more than 60 years in manufacturing industries and commercial products, such as metal plating, fluoropolymer manufacturing, aqueous firefighting foams (AFFFs), textile, paper, and water repellent items. Some legacy PFAA, for instance, perfluorooctane sulfonate acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are persistent and bioaccumulative and have potential toxicity to biota and humans (Lindstrom et al, 2011). Alternatives (C4 PFAA for example) have been used, which have been found in the air, water, sediments and human body globally (Heydebreck et al, 2015, Bao et al, 2017, Guo et al, 2018). Fluorotelomer sulfonate acids (FTSAs), especially, 6:2 FTSA, have been used as substitutes for PFOS in some AFFF and other commercial products, and they have been found in airports and other firefighting training locations (Dauchy et al, 2019, Feng et al, 2020). Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) is an alternative to PFOA in industrial activities, and high concentrations have been found in Chinese fluorochemical industrial parks (Heydebreck et al, 2015, Heydebreck et al, 2016)
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