Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been applied in numerous industrial and consumer products, the majority of which flow into waste management infrastructures (WMIs) at the end of their life cycles, but little is known about atmospheric releases of PFAS from these facilities. In this st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Environment International |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022003610 |
| _version_ | 1798042808304533504 |
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| author | Huiju Lin Jia-Yong Lao Qi Wang Yuefei Ruan Yuhe He Patrick K.H. Lee Kenneth M.Y. Leung Paul K.S. Lam |
| author_facet | Huiju Lin Jia-Yong Lao Qi Wang Yuefei Ruan Yuhe He Patrick K.H. Lee Kenneth M.Y. Leung Paul K.S. Lam |
| author_sort | Huiju Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been applied in numerous industrial and consumer products, the majority of which flow into waste management infrastructures (WMIs) at the end of their life cycles, but little is known about atmospheric releases of PFAS from these facilities. In this study, we addressed this key issue by investigating 49 PFAS, including 23 ionic and 26 neutral and precursor PFAS, in the potential sources (n = 4; within or adjacent to WMIs) and reference sites (n = 2; coastal and natural reserve sites) in urban and rural areas of Hong Kong, China. Duplicate samples of air and size-segregated particulate matter were collected for 48 h continuously using a 11-stage Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI). In general, fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and perfluoroalkane sulfonamides were the predominant PFAS classes found across sampling sites. We also demonstrated the release of several less frequently observed semivolatile intermediate products (e.g., secondary FTOHs) during waste treatment. Except for perfluorooctane sulfonate, the size-segregated distributions of particulate PFAS exhibited heterogeneity across sampling sites, particularly in the WMIs, implying combined effects of sorption affinity and emission sources. A preliminary daily air emission estimation revealed that landfill was a relatively important source of PFAS relative to the wastewater treatment plant. A simplified International Commission on Radiological Protection model was used to estimate lung depositional fluxes, and the results showed that inhaled particulate PFAS were mainly deposited in the head airway while fine and ultrafine particles carried PFAS deeper into the lung alveoli. The cumulative daily inhalation dose of gaseous and particulate PFAS ranged from 81.9 to 265 pg/kg/d. In-depth research is required to understand the health effect of airborne PFAS on workers at WMIs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:40:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7fc843eafab34582ab2b85ba357b58a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:40:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj.art-7fc843eafab34582ab2b85ba357b58a12022-12-22T03:59:00ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202022-09-01167107434Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposureHuiju Lin0Jia-Yong Lao1Qi Wang2Yuefei Ruan3Yuhe He4Patrick K.H. Lee5Kenneth M.Y. Leung6Paul K.S. Lam7State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, China (Yuefei Ruan) and Office of the President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, China (Paul K.S. Lam).State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Office of the President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, China (Yuefei Ruan) and Office of the President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, China (Paul K.S. Lam).Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been applied in numerous industrial and consumer products, the majority of which flow into waste management infrastructures (WMIs) at the end of their life cycles, but little is known about atmospheric releases of PFAS from these facilities. In this study, we addressed this key issue by investigating 49 PFAS, including 23 ionic and 26 neutral and precursor PFAS, in the potential sources (n = 4; within or adjacent to WMIs) and reference sites (n = 2; coastal and natural reserve sites) in urban and rural areas of Hong Kong, China. Duplicate samples of air and size-segregated particulate matter were collected for 48 h continuously using a 11-stage Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI). In general, fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and perfluoroalkane sulfonamides were the predominant PFAS classes found across sampling sites. We also demonstrated the release of several less frequently observed semivolatile intermediate products (e.g., secondary FTOHs) during waste treatment. Except for perfluorooctane sulfonate, the size-segregated distributions of particulate PFAS exhibited heterogeneity across sampling sites, particularly in the WMIs, implying combined effects of sorption affinity and emission sources. A preliminary daily air emission estimation revealed that landfill was a relatively important source of PFAS relative to the wastewater treatment plant. A simplified International Commission on Radiological Protection model was used to estimate lung depositional fluxes, and the results showed that inhaled particulate PFAS were mainly deposited in the head airway while fine and ultrafine particles carried PFAS deeper into the lung alveoli. The cumulative daily inhalation dose of gaseous and particulate PFAS ranged from 81.9 to 265 pg/kg/d. In-depth research is required to understand the health effect of airborne PFAS on workers at WMIs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022003610Size-fractionated distributionLandfillBiotransformationLung deposition flux |
| spellingShingle | Huiju Lin Jia-Yong Lao Qi Wang Yuefei Ruan Yuhe He Patrick K.H. Lee Kenneth M.Y. Leung Paul K.S. Lam Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure Environment International Size-fractionated distribution Landfill Biotransformation Lung deposition flux |
| title | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure |
| title_full | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure |
| title_fullStr | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure |
| title_short | Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures: Uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols, particle size distribution, and human inhalation exposure |
| title_sort | per and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere of waste management infrastructures uncovering secondary fluorotelomer alcohols particle size distribution and human inhalation exposure |
| topic | Size-fractionated distribution Landfill Biotransformation Lung deposition flux |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022003610 |
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