Schüßler Melanie, Capitain Catharina, Bugsel Boris, Zweigle Jonathan, Zwiener Christian
Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstraße 94-96, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2024 Oct 28. doi: 10.1007/s00216-024-05611-3.
The uncontrolled release of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) ingredients during a major fire incident in Reilingen, Germany, in 2008 led to significant soil and groundwater contamination. As the identity of fluorochemical surfactants in AFFF are often veiled due to company secrets, it is important to characterize AFFF contaminations and their impact on the environment comprehensively. In this study, we adapted a systematic approach combining a suitable extraction method with liquid chromatography high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) for an extensive non-targeted analysis. Our analysis identified 124 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from 42 subclasses in the contaminated soil (confidence levels of identification between 1 and 3). Typical for AFFF-impacted field sites, these included anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic substances with perfluoroalkyl chains spanning from 3 to 14 carbon atoms. Furthermore, we identified 1 previously unreported substance, and detected 9 PFAS subclasses for the first time in soil. AFFFs have long been employed to extinguish large hydrocarbon fires, yet their environmental consequences remain a concern. This study sheds light on the complex composition of AFFFs at this particularly contaminated area, emphasizing the necessity for extensive contaminant characterization as sound basis for informed management strategies to mitigate their adverse effects. AFFF PFAS are often named differently in the literature, leading to inconsistency in terminology. To address this issue, we introduced partially new terminology for AFFF-related PFAS to establish consistent terminology, to facilitate communication of identified compounds, and to ensure that the chemical structure can be directly derived from acronyms.
2008年德国赖林根发生的一起重大火灾事故中，水成膜泡沫（AFFF）成分的无控释放导致了严重的土壤和地下水污染。由于AFFF中含氟表面活性剂的成分常常因公司保密而被掩盖，全面表征AFFF污染及其对环境的影响非常重要。在本研究中，我们采用了一种系统方法，将合适的萃取方法与液相色谱高分辨率四极杆飞行时间质谱（LC-QTOF-MS）相结合，进行广泛的非靶向分析。我们的分析从受污染土壤中鉴定出了42个亚类的124种全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）（鉴定置信水平为1至3）。在受AFFF影响的现场，这些物质包括阴离子、阳离子和两性离子物质，其全氟烷基链含有3至14个碳原子。此外，我们鉴定出1种以前未报告的物质，并首次在土壤中检测到9个PFAS亚类。长期以来，AFFF一直被用于扑灭大型烃类火灾，但其环境后果仍然令人担忧。本研究揭示了这个特别受污染地区AFFF的复杂成分，强调了进行广泛污染物表征的必要性，作为制定明智管理策略以减轻其不利影响的坚实基础。AFFF中的PFAS在文献中的命名往往不同，导致术语不一致。为了解决这个问题，我们引入了部分与AFFF相关的PFAS新术语，以建立一致的术语，便于已鉴定化合物的交流，并确保化学结构可以直接从首字母缩写中推导出来。
