Airborne Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in North Carolina Firehouses
GABRIELLE WEST, Clara Eichler, Naomi Chang, Rebecca Turner, Barbara Turpin, Jason Surratt,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Abstract Number: 424
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
AbstractSince the 1940s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been manufactured for use in consumer and industrial products because of their water-, grease-, and heat-resistant properties. The ubiquity of PFAS in both indoor and outdoor environments remains an ongoing field of study. Firehouses are a unique indoor environment that remains critically understudied with regards to PFAS. PFAS are used to treat firefighting personal protective equipment and are a major component of aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), which are used to suppress liquid fuel-based fires. The usage and storage of these materials and equipment in firehouses can result in both direct and indirect exposure of firefighters to PFAS. Despite the known health risks associated with some PFAS, very limited exposure-relevant measurements have been made to identify and quantify PFAS in aerosol, gases, surfaces, and clothing in firehouses. This study aims to improve our understanding of the routes of exposure to PFAS in firehouses, identify/quantify PFAS at the molecular level, and to increase understanding of the partitioning and dynamics of PFAS within the unique indoor environment of firehouses. To this end, gas phase, fine particulate matter (diameter ≤ 2.5 µm), dust, glass surface wipe, and suspended cloth samples were collected from both the living space and the apparatus bay of three North Carolina firehouses. The samples were analyzed for 32 individual PFAS via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) with authentic standards. This study is designed to inform future occupational exposure and risk assessments that could further guide firehouse practices and policies to protect health.
This abstract has supplementary material available. Click PDF icon to download.