Latest Science
[Perspective] From “forever chemicals” to fluorine-free alternatives
18 Jul 2024 | Science
PFAS are persistent chemicals with significant health hazards, leading to regulatory actions and efforts to find safer alternatives, which present challenges in ensuring effective replacements without causing unintended consequences or compromising performance.
Nontarget Analysis of Legacy and Emerging PFAS in a Lithium-Ion Power Battery Recycling Park and Their Possible Toxicity Measured Using High-Throughput Phenotype Screening
17 Jul 2024 | Environ Sci Technol
The rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery recycling industry and scarcity of battery materials is raising concerns about environmental risks, particularly from PFAS, with a study identifying 25 types of PFAS in battery recycling areas and highlighting their toxicity and widespread presence.
Effect of Short-term Sample Storage and Preparatory Conditions on Losses of 18 Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) to Container Materials
15 Jul 2024 | Chemosphere
Glass and PET labware containers had the lowest losses of PFAS to adsorption, highlighting the need for careful selection of container materials and storage conditions when analyzing PFAS, especially for long-chain compounds.
The Fate of Fluorine Post Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Destruction during the Thermal Treatment of Biosolids: A Thermodynamic Study
15 Jul 2024 | Energies
PFAS found in biosolids can be partially destroyed and converted to smaller compounds during thermal treatment, with factors like feedstock composition and the addition of minerals significantly affecting the emission and capture of fluorine compounds, offering insights for optimizing thermal treatment processes.
Accumulation of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Coastal Sharks from Contrasting Marine Environments: The New York Bight and The Bahamas
12 Jul 2024 | ES&T
Sharks from the New York Bight have significantly higher and more diverse concentrations of PFAS compared to those from the Bahamas, highlighting the impact of human population density on PFAS accumulation in marine predators.
A Multi-Factor Analysis Linking Environmental Stressors with Presence of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in a Coastal Lagoon
12 Jul 2024 | ACS ES&T Water
Machine learning analysis of surface water samples from the Indian River Lagoon identified salinity as a key factor associated with the presence of PFAS, particularly long-chain carboxylic compounds, suggesting the need for targeted monitoring and interventions based on environmental factors.
Combining Advanced Analytical Methodologies to Uncover Suspect PFAS and Fluorinated Pharmaceutical Contributions to Extractable Organic Fluorine in Human Serum (Tromsø Study).
10 Jul 2024 | Environ. Sci. Technol.
Traditional PFAS monitoring cannot fully account for extractable organic fluorine (EOF) levels in human blood, but recent screening of human serum in Norway revealed that fluorinated pharmaceuticals significantly contribute to EOF, closing the mass balance for some but not all samples.
Occurrence and potential ecological risks of PFAS in Pampulha Lake, Brazil, a UNESCO world heritage site
10 Jul 2024 | Sci Total Environ
PFAS have been found in high concentrations in Pampulha Lake, Brazil, posing ecological risks and potential health concerns due to bioaccumulation in fish, highlighting the need for more research in urban watersheds of low and middle-income countries.
Lithium-ion battery components are at the nexus of sustainable energy and environmental release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
8 Jul 2024 | Nature
A cradle to grave evaluation of PFAS in lithium ion batteries found contamination near manufacturing sites from PFAS with similar ecotoxicity and treatability to PFOA, a highly toxic legacy PFAS. This work underscores the importance of lifecycle impacts when evaluating low-carbon energy technologies.
Impacts of rapidly urbanizing watershed comprehensive management on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances pollution: based on PFAS “diversity” assessment
8 Jul 2024 | Water Research
In rapidly urbanizing Shenzhen, China, watershed comprehensive management failed to reduce overall PFAS pollution and diversity, often exacerbating contamination through river sediment dredging, though it improved point source pollution and revealed new high-risk PFAS, highlighting the need for better regulatory measures.
A Decade of Data and Hundreds of Analytes: Legacy and Emerging Chemicals in North American Herring Gull Plasma
8 Jul 2024 | Chemosphere
Between 2010 and 2021, 199 herring gull serum samples from the Great Lakes were analyzed for various pollutants, revealing a significant decrease in regional concentrations of PFAS, PCBs, PBDEs, and pesticides, though PFAS emerged as the dominant contaminant, with PCBs still posing a threat near certain areas.
Chemical threats for the sentinel Pygoscelis adeliae from the Ross Sea (Antarctica): Occurrence and levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and mercury within the largest marine protected area worldwide
7 Jul 2024 | Sci Total Environ
A study of unhatched Adélie penguin eggs from the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area in Antarctica revealed ongoing presence of legacy pollutants and the first detection of PFAS, underscoring the need for continued monitoring to assess the effectiveness of conservation efforts against human impacts.
Adsorption behaviors of perfluorooctanoic acid on aged microplastics
6 Jul 2024 | Water Environ. Res.
Aged microplastics can adsorb PFAS, like PFOA, with the process influenced by environmental factors such as salinity and dissolved organic matter, underscoring the need for more research on these interactions in real-world conditions.
Effects of functional groups of polyfluoroalkyl substances on their removal by nanofiltration
3 Jul 2024 | Water Research X
Nanofiltration membranes effectively remove PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products from drinking water, though the efficiency varies based on individual chemical properties.
Combining Freshwater Irrigation with Vegetable Selection to Mitigate the Occurrence of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Edible Vegetable Parts in a Semiarid Farmland in Northwestern China
2 Jul 2024 | ACS ES&T Water
Reclaimed-water irrigation can introduce PFAS into farmlands, but switching to freshwater irrigation reduces PFAS levels in vegetables, with carrots and potatoes accumulating fewer contaminants than cabbage and pak choi, highlighting the importance of cleaner irrigation water for growing nonleafy vegetables.