Indoor Air Concentrations of PM2.5 Quartz Fiber Filter-Collected Ionic PFAS and Emissions to Outdoor Air: Findings from the IPA Campaign

Details

• Journal Article:
  Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts
• Personal Author:
  Chang, Naomi Y. ; Eichler, Clara M. A. ; Amparo, Daniel E. ; Zhou, Jiaqi ; Baumann, Karsten ; Cohen Hubal, Elaine A. ; Surratt, Jason D. ; Morrison, Glenn C. ; Turpin, Barbara J.
• Description:
  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are prevalent in consumer products used indoors. However, few measurements of ionic PFAS exist for indoor air. We analyzed samples collected on PM2.5 quartz fiber filters (QFFs) in 11 North Carolina homes 1-3 times in living rooms (two QFFs in series), and immediately outside each home (single QFF), for 26 ionic PFAS as part of the 9 months Indoor PFAS Assessment (IPA) Campaign. All targeted PFAS, except for PFDS and 8:2 monoPAP, were detected indoors. PFBA, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, and 6:2 diPAP were detected in >50% of indoor samples. PFHxA, PFOA, and PFOS had the highest detection frequency (DF = 80%; medians = 0.5-0.7 pg m-3), while median PFBA concentrations (3.6 pg m-3; DF = 67%) were highest indoors. Residential indoor air concentrations (sum of measured PFAS) were, on average, 3.4 times higher than residential outdoor air concentrations, and an order of magnitude higher than regional background concentrations. Indoor-to-outdoor emission rate estimates suggest that emissions from single unit homes could be a meaningful contributor to PFBA, PFOA, and PFOS emissions in populated areas far from major point sources. Backup QFFs were observed to adsorb some targeted PFAS from the gas-phase, making reported values upper-bounds for particle-phase and lower-bounds for total air (gas plus particle) concentrations. We found that higher concentrations of carbonaceous aerosol were associated with a shift in partitioning of short chain PFCAs and long chain PFSAs toward the particle phase.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Fluorocarbons Occupational Health Particulate Matter Quartz Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; PFAS; Indoor environments; Indoor air pollution; Particle aerodynamics; Emission sources; Ventilation; Aerosol particles; Gases
• Source:
  Environ Sci Process Impacts 2025 Jun; 27(6):1603-1618
• ISSN:
  2050-7887
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; California ; Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  27
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071427
• Contact Point Address:
  Barbara J. Turpin, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
• Email:
  bjturpin@email.unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9b08775f03319c3cfb34a34b63a57a2e7405f0ff96c2203ce0a50634e5b84054b624c9083f8f4749fc7d920e59569d260415186af871f7459d67da77daa1e53d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259026/cdc_259026_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 806.74 KB ]