Perfluorinated Chemicals in the Arctic Atmosphere

Abstract

Twenty high-volume air samples were collected during a crossing of the North Atlantic and Canadian Archipelago in July 2005 to investigate air concentrations of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and perfluoalkyl sulfonamido ethanols (PFASs). These commercial chemicals are widely used as surface treatments and are believed to be precursors for perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) that accumulate in humans and biota, including those from remote arctic regions. The highest concentrations (sum of gas- and particle-phase) of FTOHs were for 8:2 FTOH (perfluoroctyl ethanol) (5.8-26 pg/m(3)), followed by 10:2 FTOH (perfluorodecyl ethanol) (1.9-17 pg/ m(3)) and 6:2 FTOH (perfluorohexyl ethanol) [BDL (below detection limit) to 6.0 pg/m(3)]. For the PFASs, MeFOSE (N-methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) was dominant and ranged from 2.6 to 31 pg/m(3); EtFOSE (N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol) ranged from BDL to 8.9 pg/m(3) and MeFOSEA (N-methyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide ethylacrylate) was BDL in all samples. Air parcel back-trajectories showed that the sampled air was largely representative of the arctic air mass. Air concentrations of target compounds were of the same order of magnitude as reported air concentrations in source regions. For instance, the mean 8:2 FTOH concentration was only a factor of about 3 lower than for three urban samples that were collected in Toronto for comparison. These findings confirm model results that predictthe efficient, long-range atmospheric transport and widespread distribution of FTOHs and related compounds in the arctic region. Mean particulate percentages for FTOHs and PFASs in the cruise samples (mean temperature, 5+/-4 degrees C) were BDL for 6:2 FTOH, 23% for 8:2 FTOH, 15% for 10:2 FTOH, 32% for MeFOSE, and 22% for EtFOSE. Further, the partitioning to particles for MeFOSE and EtFOSE was significantly correlated with inverse absolute temperature, whereas the FTOHs did not show this trend. The Toronto samples (mean temperature, -1+/-1 degree C) showed similar particulate percentages for MeFOSE and EtFOSE; however, the FTOHs were substantially less particle-bound. Although the mechanism for this partitioning is not understood, the results do indicate the need to better account for particle phase transport when modeling the atmospheric fate of these chemicals.

Perfluorinated Compounds in the Asian Atmosphere

“…These values are comparable to or a bit higher than those in the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic region. 4,17 However, clear differences in the PFC mixtures were seen between the three sites (see Figure 4), reflecting the regional differences discussed above. Figure 1 shows the average back-trajectories at 100 m AGL (above ground level) during the sampling period at the three sites.…”

“…25 Concentrations measured at the background sites (C17 and C18) were comparable to remote sites over the Atlantic Ocean 26 and in the Arctic. 17 FT Acrylates. Measurements of FTAs have been attempted in a few studies.…”

Surface-associated metal catalyst enhances the sorption of perfluorooctanoic acid to multi-walled carbon nanotubes

“…Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a perfluorinated chemical that is gradually becoming the focus of considerable concern due to its resistance to natural degradation [1] and its widespread occurrence in ecological systems [2]. This chemical is inevitably released into environmental compartments with the large-scale production of PFOA and its precursors, such as fluorotelomer alcohols and perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides [3,4].…”

Effects of fluorotelomer alcohol 8:2 FTOH on steroidogenesis in H295R cells: Targeting the cAMP signalling cascade

“…Recently, these chemicals were found to have a wide distribution in the ambient atmosphere (Jahnke et al, 2007;Stock et al, 2004), including in indoor air and dust (Shoeib et al, 2006;Strynar and Lindstrom, 2008). Previous studies have found that FTOHs Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 247 (2010) [222][223][224][225][226][227][228] can be biotransformed to perfluorinated acids (Wang et al, , 2009.…”