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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and total fluorine in fire station dust.

ABSTRACT: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of over 4700 fluorinated compounds used in industry and consumer products. Studies have highlighted the use of aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) as an exposure source for firefighters, but little is known about PFAS occurrence inside fire stations, where firefighters spend most of their shifts. In this study, we aimed to characterize PFAS concentrations and sources inside fire stations. We measured 24 PFAS (using LC-MS/MS) and total fluorine (using particle-induced gamma ray emission) in dust from multiple rooms of 15 Massachusetts stations, many of which (60%) no longer use PFAS-containing AFFF at all and the rest of which only use it very rarely. Compared to station living rooms, turnout gear locker rooms had higher dust levels of total fluorine (p < 0.0001) and three PFAS: perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorodecanoate (PFDoDA) (p < 0.05). These PFAS were also found on six wipes of station turnout gear. By contrast, the dominant PFAS in living rooms was N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (N-MeFOSAA), a precursor to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) that still persists despite phase-outs almost two decades ago. The Σ₂₄ PFAS accounted for less than 2% of fluorine in dust (n = 39), suggesting the potential presence of unknown PFAS. Turnout gear may be an important PFAS source in stations due to intentional additives and/or contamination from firefighting activities.

SUBMITTER: Young AS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8339150 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Dust Collected from Residential Homes and Fire Stations in North America.

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Project description:Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent chemicals used as industrial surfactants, fire-fighting foams, and textile treatments. Early childhood exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) may affect the immune system to increase the risk of allergic and respiratory diseases. However, there are substantial gaps in our knowledge about the relationship between PFAS and immune-mediated outcomes such as asthma in children. Thus, we examined the cross-sectional associations of serum PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFHxS concentrations with childhood asthma. We used data from children aged 3-11 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2014). Serum PFAS concentrations were measured in serum using analytical chemistry methods. Asthma was assessed by parent-reported, doctor-diagnosed, asthma using a standardized questionnaire. Controlling for covariates, we estimated odds ratios for asthma per standard deviation increase in ln-transformed serum PFAS concentrations (n = 607). We also examined effect measure modification by child age, sex, and race/ethnicity. PFOA (1.1; 95% CI: 0.8, 1.4), PFOS (1.2; 95% CI: 0.8, 1.7), PFNA (1.1; 95% CI: 0.8, 1.6), and PFHxS (1.1; 95% CI: 0.9, 1.6) were weakly associated with an increased odds of asthma. Age modified associations between serum PFOS, but not other serum PFAS concentrations, and odds of asthma (age x PFOS interaction term p-value = 0.03). Sex and race/ethnicity did not modify these associations. We observed some evidence that serum PFAS concentrations are weakly associated with increased asthma prevalence in US children.

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