Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Jul 3;46(13):7120-7. doi: 10.1021/es301465n. Epub 2012 Jun 15.
Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are a vital tool to fight large hydrocarbon fires and can be used by public, commercial, and military firefighting organizations. In order to possess these superior firefighting capabilities, AFFFs contain fluorochemical surfactants, of which many of the chemical identities are listed as proprietary. Large-scale controlled (e.g., training activities) and uncontrolled releases of AFFF have resulted in contamination of groundwater. Information on the composition of AFFF formulations is needed to fully define the extent of groundwater contamination, and the first step is to fully define the fluorochemical composition of AFFFs used by the US military. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) and high resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) were combined to elucidate chemical formulas for the fluorochemicals in AFFF mixtures, and, along with patent-based information, structures were assigned. Sample collection and analysis was focused on AFFFs that have been designated as certified for US military use. Ten different fluorochemical classes were identified in the seven military-certified AFFF formulations and include anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic surfactants with perfluoroalkyl chain lengths ranging from 4 to 12. The environmental implications are discussed, and research needs are identified.
水成膜泡沫（AFFFs）是扑灭大型碳氢化合物火灾的重要工具，公共、商业和军事消防组织均可使用。为了拥有这些卓越的灭火能力，AFFFs 含有含氟表面活性剂，其中许多化学物质的身份被列为专有。大规模的受控（例如，培训活动）和不受控制的 AFFF 释放导致地下水受到污染。需要了解 AFFF 配方的组成，以充分界定地下水污染的程度，而第一步是充分界定美国军方使用的 AFFFs 的含氟化学成分。快原子轰击质谱（FAB-MS）和高分辨率四极杆飞行时间质谱（QTOF-MS）相结合，阐明了 AFFF 混合物中含氟化合物的化学式，并结合专利信息进行了结构分配。样品采集和分析的重点是已被指定为美国军方使用的 AFFFs。在七种经过军方认证的 AFFF 配方中，共鉴定出十种不同的氟化学物质类别，包括阴离子、阳离子和两性离子表面活性剂，其全氟烷基链长从 4 到 12 不等。讨论了其环境影响，并确定了研究需求。
