[Report] Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in New Firefighter Turnout Gear Textiles
By Andrew C. Maizel, Andre Thompson, Meghanne Tighe, Samuel Escobar Veras, Alix E. Rodowa, Ryan Falkenstein-Smith, Bruce Benner, Kathleen Hoffman, Michelle Donnelly, Oliva Hernandez, Nadine Wetzler, Trung Ngu, Jessica Reiner, Benjamin Place, John Kucklick, Catherine Rimmer, and Rick D. Davis
NIST
June 19, 2023
DOI: 10.6028/NIST.TN.2248
Turnout gear is increasingly recognized as a potential source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure to firefighters. To determine the identity, concentration, and prevalence of PFAS potentially present in new firefighter turnout gear, fifty-three nonvolatile, semivolatile, and volatile PFAS were quantified in twenty textiles used in the construction of firefighter turnout gear. Between one and 17 PFAS were observed and quantified in each textile, with higher numbers of detections, and higher concentrations of PFAS present in moisture barrier and outer shell textiles compared with thermal liner textiles. 6:2 fluorotelomer methacrylate, 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol, and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid are all fluorotelomerization-derived PFAS with six perfluorinated carbons and they were quantified at the highest concentrations of any PFAS, up to 1,520 µg/kg ± 130 µg/kg (mean ± standard deviation of triplicate measurements of single textile), 613 µg/kg ± 15 µg/kg and 393 µg/kg ± 98 µg/kg, respectively. These three PFAS were not detected in outer shells that had not received fluoropolymer treatments, which could indicate their presence is related to the application of side-chain fluorinated polymers. Also widely observed were two compounds with four perfluorinated carbons: perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and perfluorobutane sulfonamide. Perfluorocarboxylic acids, especially those with fewer than six perfluorinated carbons, were nearly universally identified in turnout gear textiles but at concentrations below 40 µg/kg. In contrast, PFAS with eight or more perfluorinated carbons, such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, were present at summed concentrations below 2 µg/kg in all textiles. Summed PFAS concentrations varied widely among each textile type which suggests that the amount of PFAS present in new turnout gear may depend on the specific textiles used in gear manufacturing.
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