Sampling of freely dissolved per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water and groundwater using a newly developed passive sampler

Abstract

Passive sampling methods offer several advantages over traditional grab water sampling techniques, including time-integrative results which better represent long-term concentrations at the site and separation of the freely dissolved fraction of the contaminant which offers insight into the associated risk. This paper describes the performance of a newly developed equilibrium regimen passive sampler designed specifically for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), called PFAS INSIGHT®. The sampler is effective in sampling ionic (sulfonates and carboxylates) and non-ionic (PFAS precursors) PFAS from aqueous solutions with detection limits similar or lower (depending on the analyte) to those achievable with conventional water sample analysis. Results include laboratory characterization of sorbent adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms for 15 PFAS analytes with carbon chain lengths of 4–12, the effects of the sample matrix on PFAS partitioning, and sorbent extraction efficiency. Results from PFAS INSIGHT® field deployments demonstrate good agreement between the concentrations calculated from the passive sampler data and the concentrations measured directly in conventional water samples. Approximately 35% of the passive sampling results were within 2-fold of the conventional water sample concentrations, 71% within 5-fold, and 88% within 10-fold.