Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 545-551
Monitoring Perfluorinated Surfactants in Biota and Surface Water Samples Following an Accidental Release of Fire-Fighting Foam into Etobicoke Creek CHERYL A. MOODY,† JONATHAN W. MARTIN,‡ WAI CHI KWAN,† DEREK C. G. MUIR,§ AND S C O T T A . M A B U R Y * ,† Department of Chemistry, 80 St. George Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H6, Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1, and National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7R 4A6
TABLE 1. Examples of Perfluorinated Surfactants with Acronyms and Molecular Formulas compound perfluoroalkanesulfonates perfluorooctanesulfonate anion perfluorohexanesulfonate anion perfluorobutanesulfonate anion perfluorocarboxylates perfluorotetradecanoic acid anion perfluorododecanoic acid aniona perfluoroundecanoic acid anion perfluorodecanoic acid anion perfluorononanoic acid aniona perfluorooctanoic acid anion perfluoroheptanoic acid anion perfluorohexanoic acid anion perfluoropentanoic acid anion a
acronym
molecular formula
PFOS PFHxS PFBS
C8F17SO3C6F13SO3C4F9SO3-
PFTA PFDoA PFUnA PFDA PFNA PFOA PFHpA PFHxA PFPeA
C13F27COOC11F23COOC10F21COOC9F19COOC8F17COOC7F15COOC6F13COOC5F11COOC4F9COO-
Compound employed as an internal standard for study.
Introduction Perfluorinated surfactants have emerged as priority environmental contaminants due to recent reports of their detection in environmental and biological matrices as well as concerns regarding their persistence and toxicity. In June 2000, 22000 L of fire retardant foam containing perfluorinated surfactants was accidentally released at L. B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto, ON, and subsequently entered into Etobicoke Creek, a tributary to Lake Ontario. A suite of analytical tools that include liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and 19F NMR were employed to characterize fish (common shiner, Notropus cornutus) and surface water samples collected following the discharge of the perfluorinated material. Total perfluoroalkanesulfonate (4, 6, and 8 carbons) concentrations in fish liver samples ranged from 2.00 to 72.9 µg/g, and total perfluorocarboxylate (5-14 carbons) concentrations ranged from 0.07 to 1.02 µg/g. In addition to fish samples, total perfluoroalkanesulfonate (6 and 8 carbons) concentrations were detected in creek water samples by LC/MS/MS over a 153 day sampling period with concentrations ranging from
