Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 8397–8402
Concentrations, Distribution, and Persistence of Fluorotelomer Alcohols in Sludge-Applied Soils near Decatur, Alabama, USA H O O N Y O O , †,‡ J O H N W . W A S H I N G T O N , * ,‡ J. JACKSON ELLINGTON,† T H O M A S M . J E N K I N S , ‡,§ A N D MICHAEL P. NEILL⊥ National Research Council (NRC), Ecosystems Research Division, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency, 960 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States, Senior Service America (SSA), and Region IV, Environmental Protection Agency, 980 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
Received May 19, 2010. Revised manuscript received August 23, 2010. Accepted September 27, 2010.
Soil samples were collected for fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH) analyses from six fields to which sludge had been applied and one “background” field that had not received sludge. Ten analytes in soil extracts were quantified using GC/MS. Sludgeapplied fields had surface soil FTOH concentrations exceeding levels found in the background field. For 8:2nFTOH, which can degrade to perfluorooctanoic acid, impacted surface-soils ranged from 5 to 73 ng/g dry weight, clearly exceeding the background field in which 8:2nFTOH was not detected. The highest [FTOH] generally was 10:2nFTOH, which had concentrations of
