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Bangladesh hosts extensive textile manufacturing, for some of which per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been used to impart water and dirt repellency, among others. Textile waste emissions to the atmosphere and discharge into rivers and other bodies of water could present a significant concern for human and ecosystem health, but there is little information on PFAS in Bangladesh. To assess the presence of ionic PFAS and their precursors in air and water from Dhaka, Bangladesh, polyethylene (PE) sheets were deployed for 28 days as passive samplers for neutral PFAS in outdoor air and water, while ionic PFAS were measured from discrete water grabs. Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) were detected almost all sites in air and water; the most frequently detected compound was 6:2 FTOH ranging from below instrumental detection limits (

There is widespread contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the globe, with adverse effects on human and environmental health. For human exposure, drinking water and dietary exposure have been recognized as important PFAS exposure pathway for the general population. Several documented cases of dairy milk contamination by PFAS have raised concerns over this exposure pathway in general. A sensitive method for determination of 27 PFAS in milk was hence modified and applied on raw and processed milk samples from 13 farms across the United States (U.S.). A combination of acid and basic extraction method and ENVI-Carb clean-up achieved recoveries of targeted PFAS between 70 and 141%. The method detection limits (MDL) ranged from 0.8 to 22 ng/L (for 26 PFAS) and 144 ng/L for perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA). The uniqueness of this method is considered in the targeted screening of a broad range of legacy PFAS, as well as perfluorinated sulfonamide species and fluorotelomer sulfonates. No legacy PFAS were detected in 13 milk samples from regions of concern given local use of biosolids or proximity to fire training areas. Overall, then, the uptake of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) from dairy milk in the U.S. is considered low.

Aquatic contamination by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) has attracted global attention due to their environmental and health concerns. Current health advisories and surface water regulatory limits require PFAS detection in the parts per trillion (ppt) range. One way to achieve those low detection limits is to use a reliable passive sampling-based monitoring tool for PFAS, as exists for numerous nonpolar persistent organic pollutants. Here we introduce a new graphene-based hydrogel monolith and describe its synthesis, chemical functionalization, property characterization, and testing as a PFAS equilibrium passive sampler. The graphene monoliths were self-assembled by hydrothermal treatment from graphene oxide (GO) aqueous dispersions to produce free standing cylinders of ~563 mm(3) volume consisting of ~4 wt-% thin-walled porous graphene and ~96 wt-% water. The uptake of 23 PFAS was measured on the as-produced monoliths, and equilibrium partition coefficients (K(SW)), were derived for longer chain (C≥8) perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) and neutral precursors such as sulfonamides (log K(SW) range 1.9 – 3.6). To increase the K(SW) for shorter chain PFAA, the monoliths were chemically modified by a new diazonium-based grafting reaction that introduces positive surface charge without damage to the graphenic backbone. Introduction of benzylamine moieties through the diazonium intermediate switches zeta potential at pH 7 from −45mV (as-produced graphene) to + 5mV. This modification increased the sorption of short and middle chain PFAA by ten-fold (e.g. log K(SW) for PFBA increased from 1.3 to 2.2), thereby improving the functionality of the passive sampler device for a wider range of PFAS. Field deployments demonstrated that the graphene monoliths were capable of detecting key PFAS in the Delaware River.

Sources of exposure to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) include food, water, and given that humans spend typically 90% of our time indoors, air and dust. Quantifying PFAS prevalent indoors, such as neutral, volatile PFAS, and estimating their exposure risk to humans is thus important. To accurately measure these compounds indoors, polyethylene (PE) sheets were employed and validated as passive detection tools, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Air concentrations were compared to dust and carpet concentrations reported elsewhere. Partitioning between PE sheets of different thicknesses suggested that interactions of the PEs with the compounds are occurring by absorption. Volatile PFAS, specifically fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), were ubiquitous in indoor environments. For example, in carpeted Californian kindergarten classrooms, 6:2 FTOH dominated with concentrations ranging from 9-600 ng m(−3), followed by 8:2 FTOH. Concentrations of volatile PFAS from air, carpet and dust were closely related to each other, indicating that carpets and dust are major sources of FTOHs in air. Nonetheless, air posed the largest exposure risk of FTOHs and biotransformed perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAA) in young children. This research highlights inhalation of indoor air as an important exposure pathway and the need for further reduction of precursors to PFAA.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been detected at elevated concentrations in the Great Lakes region, dwarfing other flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), as chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). This prompted us to deploy polyethylene (PE) passive samplers in air and water column of the lower Great Lake region (Lake Erie and Lake Ontario) to detect gaseous and dissolved OPEs, evaluate their occurrence and spatial distribution, and estimate their air-water gas exchange fluxes. The median concentration of the total dissolved and gaseous phase OPEs detected (Σ9OPEs) were 95 ng L−1 and 404 pg m−3, respectively, during April–November 2014. Gaseous and dissolved concentrations were dominated by chlorinated compounds, in particular (tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP), while tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) was the dominant non-chlorinated OPEs in both media. Decreasing concentration gradients from shoreline/nearshore to offshore sites for both gaseous and aqueous OPEs reflect anthropogenic influence from the adjacent rural and urban regions. The partial dependence of gaseous OPEs on temperature indicate the importance of volatilization from local sources, fresh emissions as well as advection from distant sources to air. Almost all OPEs underwent net gas-phase deposition to the lakes, dominated by TCEP and TCPPs with median fluxes of −3980 ng/m2/day and −1320 ng/m2/day; the exception was TnBP, which underwent volatilization with the median fluxes of 1980 ng/m2/day. For all air-water pairs, the gaseous diffusive fluxes were 2–4 orders of magnitude greater than the estimated particle dry deposition fluxes.

Embargo until September 17, 2023 Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) are a focus in marine protection. Several CECs are released with wastewater effluents to coastal environments and their offshore occurrence has been recently documented. Routine monitoring is key for implementing marine protection acts, however infrastructural, financial, and technical limitations hinder this task along broad spatial transects. Here we show the efficacy of a new infrastructure enabling unmanned sampling of surface water from ships of opportunity in providing reliable and cost-effective routine monitoring of CECs along a Europe-Arctic transect. The distribution and long-range transport of several pharmaceuticals and personal care products, artificial food additives, and stimulants were assessed. Validation of operations through strict procedural and analytical quality criteria is presented. A framework to estimate a compound-specific spatial range (SR) index of marine long-range transport based on monitoring results and information on source spatial distribution, is introduced. Estimated SR values ranged 50–350 km depending on compound, yielding a ranking of long-range transport potential which reflected expectations based on degradation half-lives. SR values were used to calculate prior maps of detection probability that can be used to plan future routine monitoring in the region.

A total of 74 high volume air samples were collected at a background site in Czech Republic from 2012 to 2014 in which the concentrations of 20 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were investigated. The total concentrations (gas + particle phase) ranged from 0.03 to 2.08 pg m(−3) (average 0.52 pg m(−3)) for the sum of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (ƩPFCAs), from 0.02 to 0.85 pg m(−3) (average 0.28 pg m(−3)) for the sum of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (ƩPFSAs) and from below detection to 0.18 pg.m(−3) (average 0.05 pg m(−3)) for the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and sulfonamidoethanols (ƩFOSA/Es). The gas phase concentrations of most PFASs were not controlled by temperature dependent sources but rather by long-range atmospheric transport. Air mass backward trajectory analysis showed that the highest concentrations of PFASs were mainly originating from continental areas. The average particle fractions (θ) of ƩPFCAs (θ = 0.74 ± 0.26) and ƩPFSAs (θ = 0.78 ± 0.22) were higher compared to ƩFOSA/Es (θ = 0.31 ± 0.35). However, they may be subject to sampling artefacts. This is the first study ever reporting PFASs concentrations in air samples collected over consecutive years. Significant decreases in 2012–2014 for PFOA, MeFOSE, EtFOSE and ƩPFCAs were observed with apparent half-lives of 1.01, 0.86, 0.92 and 1.94 years, respectively.

Some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been detected ubiquitously in the environment. Owing to the polar character conferred by the presence of the carboxylic or sulfonic acid groups and their resistance to degradation, aquatic environments became their major reservoirs, including marine waters. The procedure of PFAS analysis in aqueous matrices consists usually of solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Moreover, passive sampling approach using various SPE sorbents may be applied. This study deals with the assessment of retention characteristics of a selected group of PFASs in marine water on three sorbent media widely used in SPE or passive sampling techniques. The influence of type of sorbent, matrix pH, salinity and eluent on the PFAS recovery from aquatic samples was investigated. The best overall extraction conditions were found to be at pH 8 and 50%/100% matrix seawater content using Oasis® HLB/Strata™-X as SPE sorbents and methanol as eluent. The matrix properties found to be the most appropriate for extraction of investigated PFASs from aqueous samples (i.e., pH and salinity levels) match well the natural properties of marine and brackish waters. Acid-base behavior was found to be the main driver influencing the recovery of PFASs. These research findings can be used to optimize PFAS extraction conditions from aquatic samples and also to develop efficient extraction procedures for multiresidual analyses.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment. Some of these chemicals, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are found in human sera and have been shown to cause liver steatosis and reduce postnatal survival and growth in rodents. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the impact of diet and PFAS exposure to mouse dam (mus musculus) on the risk to pup liver and metabolism endpoints later in life, as well as evaluate PFAS partitioning to pups. Timed-pregnant dams were fed a standard chow diet or 60 % kcal high fat diet (HFD). Dams were administered either vehicle, 1 mg/kg PFOA, 1 mg/kg PFOS, 1 mg/kg PFHxS, or a PFAS mixture (1 mg/kg of each PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS) daily via oral gavage from gestation day 1 until postnatal day (PND) 20. At PND 21, livers of dams and 2 pups of each sex were evaluated for lipid changes while remaining pups were weaned to the same diet as the dam for an additional 10 weeks. Dam and pup serum at PND 21 and PND 90 were also evaluated for PFAS concentration, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), leptin and adiponectin, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c. Perinatal exposure to a HFD, as expected, increased pup body weight, maternal liver weight, pup liver triglycerides, pup serum ALT, and pup serum leptin. PFOA and the PFAS mixture increased liver weights, and. treatment with all three compounds increased liver triglycerides. The maternal HFD increased dam and pup serum PFAS levels, however, was protective against PFOA-induced increase in serum ALT and observed increases in liver triglycerides. The PFAS mixture had very distinct effects when compared to single compound treatment, suggesting some cumulative effects, particularly when evaluating PFAS transfer from dam to pup. This data highlights the importance of diet and mixtures when evaluating liver effect of PFAS and PFAS partitioning.

To fulfill national and international fire safety standards, flame retardants (FRs) are being added to a wide range of consumer products and building materials consisting of flammable materials like plastic, wood and textiles. While the FR composition of some products and materials has been identified in recent years, the limited global coverage of the data and the large diversity in consumer products necessitates more information for an overall picture of the FR composition in common products/materials. To address this issue, 137 individual samples of various consumer products, building materials and wastes were collected. To identify and characterize potential sources of FRs in indoor environment, all samples were analyzed for content of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDDs) and novel flame retardants (NFRs). The most frequently detected were HBCDDs (85%), with the highest median concentration of Σ4HBCDDs of 300 mg kg−1 in polystyrenes. The highest median concentration of Σ10PBDEs was found in recycled plastic materials, reaching 4 mg kg−1. The lowest concentrations were observed for NFRs, where the median of Σ12NFRs reached 0.4 mg kg−1 in the group of electrical & electronic equipment wastes. This suggests that for consumer products and building materials that are currently in-use, legacy compounds still contribute to the overall burden of FRs. Additionally, contrasting patterns of FR composition in recycled and virgin plastics, revealed using principle component analysis (PCA), suggest that legacy flame retardants are reentering the market through recycled products, perpetuating the potential for emissions to indoor environments and thus for human exposure.

Chemical pollution is of concern for the marine environment. New European regulation demands exposure and impact assessment to be conducted in coastal environments in order to define and ensure fulfillment of environmental quality standards. A cost-effective approach for monitoring the over 100,000 km of European coasts is necessary. This proof-of-concept study focuses on the use of unmanned water sampling from a commercial ship of opportunity to implement monitoring of marine contaminants of emerging concern. Marine areas that are not directly affected by river plumes or other direct sources were covered in order to provide information on background pollution. 14 currently used pesticides, 11 pharmaceuticals and personal care products and 3 food additives were detected in water samples through targeted analysis at sub-ng to tenths of ng/L levels in both coastal and offshore areas of the North Sea. Among contaminants, 6 pesticides (dimethoate, fenpropimorph, pendimethalin, propiconazole, tebuconazole and temephos), 3 pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, naproxen and ketoprofen) and 2 food additives (acesulfame and saccharine) have never been detected before in offshore areas. 4 pesticides (diuron, isoproturon, metazachlor and terbuthylazine), 4 pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, atenolol, ibuprofen and ketoprofen) and 2 food additives (sucralose and acesulfame) were detected in over 90% of the samples. The antibiotic sulfamethoxazole was detected in 50% of the samples at tenths of pg/L levels, including some offshore areas. Our study highlights that the use of ships of opportunity can provide a key support for the development and cost-effective implementation of marine monitoring of chemical pollutants in Europe and elsewhere.

Pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs), and artificial sweeteners (ASWs) are contaminants of emerging concern commonly found in the aquatic environments. In India, studies reporting environmental occurrence of these contaminants are scarce. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of 15 PPCPs and five ASWs in the river and groundwater (used untreated as drinking water) at several sites along the Ganges River. Based on the measured groundwater concentrations, we estimated the life-long human health risk from exposure to PPCPs through drinking. In addition, we estimated the risk of exposure to PPCPs and ASWs in the river water for aquatic organisms. The sum of detected PPCPs in the river water ranged between 54.7-826 ng/L, with higher concentrations in the severely anthropogenically influenced middle and lower reaches of the Ganges. The highest concentration among the PPCPs in the river water was of caffeine (743 ng/L). The sum of detected ASWs in river water ranged between 0.2-102 ng/L. Similar to PPCPs, the sum of ASWs in the river water was higher in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges. In groundwater, the sum of detected PPCPs ranged between 34-293 ng/L, whereas of ASWs ranged between 0.5-25 ng/L. Negligible risk for humans was estimated from PPCPs in the drinking groundwater sources along the Ganges River, whereas moderate risks to PPCPs and ASWs (namely: caffeine, sulfamethoxazole, triclocarban, triclosan, and sucralose) were estimated for aquatic organisms in the Ganges River.

Many perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. They have been widely used in production processes and daily-use products or may result from degradation of precursor compounds in products or the environment. India, with its developing industrialization and population moving from traditional to contemporary lifestyles, represents an interesting case study to investigate PFAS emission and exposure along steep environmental and socioeconomic gradients. This study assesses PFAS concentrations in river and groundwater (used in this region as drinking water) from several locations along the Ganges River and estimates direct emissions, specifically for PFOS and PFOA. 15 PFAS were frequently detected in the river with the highest concentrations observed for PFHxA (0.4-4.7 ng L(-1)) and PFBS (

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are restricted compounds that are ubiquitously detected in the environment, including indoor matrices such as air and residential dust. We report concentrations of PCBs and selected OCPs in indoor air and dust from homes in Canada (23 homes) and Czech Republic (20 homes). Indoor air concentrations of PCBs and OCPs were ∼10 times higher than that outdoors. PCB concentrations of ∼450 ng/m3 were similar in both countries, higher in homes built before the restrictions on PCBs, and had congener profiles consistent with PCB mixtures manufactured or used in each country. All OCP air concentrations were higher in the Czech Republic than in the Canadian samples, suggesting greater indoor use of, for example, DDT and HCH. These data emphasize the persistence of these organochlorine compounds indoors and their presence in homes even decades after new usage was prohibited. Indoor levels of these legacy POPs remain at similar concentrations to compounds of current concern, such as brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated alkyl substances, emphasizing that they deserve ongoing attention in view of knowledge of PCB and OCP toxicity.

Pollution by chemical substances is of concern for the maintenance of healthy and sustainable aquatic environments. While the occurrence and fate of numerous emerging contaminants, especially pharmaceuticals, is well documented in freshwater, their occurrence and behavior in coastal and marine waters is much less studied and understood. This study investigates the occurrence of 58 chemicals in the open surface water of the Western Mediterranean Sea for the first time. 70 samples in total were collected in 10 different sampling areas. 3 pesticides, 11 pharmaceuticals and personal care products and 2 artificial sweeteners were detected at sub-ng to ng/L levels. Among them, the herbicide terbuthylazine, the pharmaceuticals caffeine, carbamazepine, naproxen and paracetamol, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, the antibacterial triclocarban and the two artificial sweeteners acesulfame and saccharin were detected in all samples. The compound detected at the highest concentration was saccharin (up to 5.23 ng/L). Generally small spatial differences among individual sampling areas point to a diffuse character of sources which are likely dominated by WWTP effluents and runoffs from agricultural areas or even, at least for pharmaceuticals and artificial food additives, from offshore sources such as ferries and cruising ships. The implications of the ubiquitous presence in the open sea of chemicals that are bio-active or toxic at low doses on photosynthetic organisms and/or bacteria (i.e., terbuthylazine, sulfamethoxazole or triclocarban) deserve scientific attention, especially concerning possible subtle impacts from chronic exposure of pelagic microorganisms.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of important chemical compounds with unique and useful physico-chemical properties, widely produced and used in many applications. However, due to the toxicity, bioaccumulation and long-range transport potential of certain PFASs, they are of significant concern to scientists and policy makers. To assess human exposure to PFASs, it is necessary to understand the concentrations of these emerging contaminants in our environment, and particularly environments where urban population spend most of their time, i.e. buildings and vehicles. A total of 126 samples of building materials, consumer products, car interior materials and wastes were therefore analyzed for their content of key PFASs - 15 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). At least one of the target PFAAs was detected in 88% of all samples. The highest concentration of Σ 15 PFAAs was found in textile materials (77.61 μg kg −1 ), as expected, since specific PFAAs are known to be used for textile treatment during processing. Surprisingly, PFAAs were also detected in all analyzed composite wood building materials, which were dominated by perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids with 5–8 carbons in the chain (Σ 4 PFCAs up to 32.9 μg kg −1 ). These materials are currently widely used for building refurbishment, and this is the first study to find evidence of the presence of specific PFASs in composite wood materials. Thus, in addition to consumer products treated with PFASs, materials used in the construction of houses, schools and office buildings may also play an important role in human exposure to PFASs.

In the environs of ammunition plants and former military area, contaminations caused by explosives and their degradation products are of great environmental relevance. During the production of worldwide mostly used explosive compound – 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene its isomers were distributed into the environment. Therefore determination of 14 selected nitroaromatic compounds (trinitrotoluenes, amino dinitrotoluenes and diamino nitrotoluenes) by means of LC–MS–MS coupling utilizing electrospray ionization was developed. Therewith, these compounds were identified and quantified on the basis of specific precursor/product ion traces using the high selectivity and sensitivity of multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. A new stationary phase designed especially for separation of EPA explosive mixture was used for separation of specific mixture of nitroaromatics compounds. Modification of HPLC properties enables base-line separation of all analytes and therefore improving of their MS identification and quantification. Limits of detection obtained using highly specific mass spectrometric detection MRM mode were in range 4–114 pg/μL. MS–MS qualification and quantification of explosives and their biodegradation products is feasible also in case of samples with complex matrix and high amount of co-eluting compounds.

The separation of a mixture of trinitrotoluenes (TNTs) and their metabolites by reverse phase liquid chromatography using different columns with octadecyl stationary phase is presented. The retenti...

Concentrations of 20 perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) were measured in dust samples from 41 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic, and United States in the spring-summer of 2013. The most frequently detected compounds were perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) had the highest concentrations of PFASs in all countries. PFOS median concentrations for the three countries were between 9.1 and 14.1 ng/g, and PFOA medians ranged between 8.2 and 9.3 ng/g. In general, concentrations in North America were higher than in the Czech Republic, which is consistent with usage patterns. No differences were found for perfluorooctane sulfonamides/sulfonamidoethanols (FOSA/Es) levels due to the low number of detections. Homologue profiles suggest that the shift from longer to shorter chain PFASs is more advanced in North America than in Europe. Significant relationships were found among individual homologues and between PFAS concentrations in dust and type of floor, number of people living in the house, and building age. Keywords: Perfluorinated compounds, PFASs, House dust, Indoor environment

Concentrations of more than 20 brominated flame retardants (FRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and emerging FRs, were measured in air, dust and window wipes from 63 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic and the United States in the spring and summer of 2013. Among the PBDEs, the highest concentrations were generally BDE-209 in all three matrices, followed by Penta-BDEs. Among alternative FRs, EHTBB and BEHTBP were detected at the highest concentrations. DBDPE was also a major alternative FR detected in dust and air. Bromobenzenes were detected at lower levels than PBDEs and other alternative FRs; among the bromobenzenes, HBB and PBEB were the most abundant compounds. In general, FR levels were highest in the US and lowest in the Czech Republic — a geographic trend that reflects the flame retardants' market. No statistically significant differences were detected between bedroom and living room FR concentrations in the same house (n = 10), suggesting that sources of FRs are widespread indoors and mixing between rooms. The concentrations of FRs in air, dust, and window film were significantly correlated, especially for PBDEs. We found a significant relationship between the concentrations in dust and window film and in the gas phase for FRs with log KOA values 14. This hypothesis was confirmed by a large discrepancy between values predicted using a partitioning model and the measured values for FRs with log KOA values >14. Keywords: Brominated flame retardants, Indoor, Air, Dust, Window film

Two groups of perfluorined compounds (PFCs), i.e. perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were analysed during a period of 1 year in monthly collected riverbed sediment samples from five sampling sites in an industrial region in Morava River catchment in Czech Republic. Levels of PFCs determined in sediment samples were up to 6.8 μg kg(-1) of dry weight. Among PFCs analysed, mainly short-chain PFASs (C6 to C8) including PFOS were found in sediment samples and their levels were similar to those found in comparable river basins in other parts of Europe. Concentrations of PFCs were correlated with organic carbon content and their variations were mainly correlated by high flow events on Morava River and its tributaries. The changes in PFC concentrations were induced by displacing of PFCs containing particles to the river sediment during these elevated flow events.