Perfluoro(2-ethoxy-2-fluoroethoxy)-acetic Acid and Other Target and Suspect PFAS in the Vicinity of a Fluoropolymer...

Multiple target and suspect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including the replacement fluorinated processing aid perfluoro(2-ethoxy-2-fluoroethoxy)-acetic acid ("EEA"), were measured in both air and surface water in the vicinity of a fluoropolymer production plant (FPP) in Thornton-Cleveleys (United Kingdom) during sampling campaigns in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Targeted and suspect screening methods were conducted using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with Q-Exactive HF Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Summed PFAS levels in water nearby the plant ranged from 30 to 22,542 ng/L and were dominated by perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs), most notably perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; up to 20,624 ng/L), EEA (up to 1744 ng/L), H-PFOA (up to 1027 ng/L), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA; up to 650 ng/L). Additionally, various homologous series of PFAS suspects, such as hydrogen-substituted PFCAs (H-PFCAs), chlorine-substituted PFCAs (Cl-PFCAs), and monoether perfluoroether alkyl carboxylic acids (ME-PFECAs) were identified, some for the first time in Europe. In air, PFOA was detected in all but one sample collected 20 km from the plant at concentrations ranging from 0.51 to 2.50 pg/m³. The three air samples that showed detectable EEA concentrations also displayed evidence of long-chain targets and suspects and were associated with high wind speeds from a southwesterly direction. Overall, this study shows that this site continues to be a source of a complex mixture of legacy and scarcely monitored PFAS that occur in multiple environmental media. This highlights the importance of further research that assesses the toxicity of these substances and the resulting impacts on humans and wildlife.