National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Chemosphere. 2013 Feb;90(5):1686-92. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.09.065. Epub 2012 Oct 18.
A field study on the photolysis of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) was conducted at high altitudes in Mt. Mauna Kea (Hawaii, USA; 4200 m) and Mt. Tateyama (Toyama, Japan; 2500 m). Results of photolysis of PFASs in the field were further confirmed in laboratory studies. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), which is perceived as a non-degradable chemical in the environment, can undergo photolysis. Long chain PFASs can be successively dealkylated to short chain compounds such as perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA) and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), but the short chain compounds were relatively more resistant to photodegradation. These results suggest that environmental levels of short chain PFASs would increase both due to their formation from photolysis of long chain PFASs and from direct releases. Earlier studies on photolysis of PFASs were focused on the formation of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) from precursor compounds (such as fluorotelomer alcohols) under laboratory conditions. Our study suggests that PFSAs and PFCAs themselves can undergo photodegradation in the environment.
在夏威夷的莫纳罗亚山（海拔 4200 米）和日本的立山（海拔 2500 米）进行了一项关于全氟烷基物质（PFASs）光解的野外研究。在实验室研究中进一步证实了 PFASs 在野外光解的结果。全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）被认为是环境中不可降解的化学物质，也可以进行光解。长链 PFASs 可以连续脱烷基化为短链化合物，如全氟丁酸（PFBA）和全氟丁烷磺酸（PFBS），但短链化合物相对更能抵抗光降解。这些结果表明，由于长链 PFASs 光解形成以及直接排放，环境中短链 PFASs 的水平将会增加。早期关于 PFASs 光解的研究主要集中在实验室条件下前体化合物（如氟调聚物醇）形成全氟羧酸（PFCAs）和全氟磺酸（PFSAs）。我们的研究表明，PFSAs 和 PFCAs 本身可以在环境中进行光降解。
