Danish study reveals PFAS factory pollution spread using wildlife sampling
Researchers developed a new method to detect harmful PFAS chemicals emitted from fluoropolymer manufacturing plants by analyzing bird eggs and snails near a Danish facility. The approach bypasses factory access requirements and could help regulators enforce emerging restrictions on these persistent pollutants before they contaminate water supplies and food chains.
Originaltitel: Strategies to Assess PFAS Emissions from a Fluoropolymer Manufacturing Plant
<p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent chemicals that accumulate externally and internally in the environment and humans, which are linked to health risks. While rather low EU and national environmental limits exist for perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in water and food, industrial PFAS emissions are hardly regulated. Residents living near fluoropolymer (FP) manufacturing plants (FPMPs) involved in stripping and re-coating FP coatings on metals may therefore be exposed to PFAS from FPs. This pilot study aimed to investigate pollution around a Danish FPMP and to develop a sampling and analysis strategy independent of access to the factory. To this end, we compiled a list of PFAS suspected to be emitted and used a local-scale air dispersion modelling (OML) to predict the spread of gases. This informed where to sample 23 bird eggs (blackbirds, great tit), 10 snails (Helix Pomatia), and lake water at varying distances from the factory. A combined analytical strategy was applied to the samples, using target analysis (PFAS33), suspect/non-target screening (SS/NTS), and extractable organofluorine-combustion ion chromatography (EOF-CIC). Near the factory, the eggs had elevated organofluorine levels (blackbirds: 670-2,500 ng/g; great tits: 260-670 ng/g), fourfold higher for blackbirds than in the controls. PFAS33 explained only 1.0-4.7% of EOF, indicating substantial unidentified organofluorines (UOF). Organofluorine levels in snails were below LOD, while water samples showed PFAS patterns but below the NTS confirmation levels. The elevated organofluorine levels in eggs sampled near the factory support the community's concern that the FPMP has polluted its surroundings.</p>