PARENT SESSION

1H a/b/c - Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, perfluoroalkylated substances, antibiotics
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Wednesday, 30 April 2003
Chair: de Voogt, P.¹, ¹
Co-chair: Purdy, R.², Pluecken, U.³, Koerdel, W.⁴, Tolls, J.⁵, Kümmerer, K.⁶, ^{2 3 4 5 6}

(WEP/19) Fluoroalkyl Surfactants in Groundwater.

Field, Jennifer¹, Melissa, Schultz¹, Barofsky, Douglas¹, ¹ Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT- Fluorinated alkyl surfactants are used as active ingredients in aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), which are used to fight hydrocarbon fuel fires. The military is the largest consumer of AFFF in the U.S. and past fire fighting training activities at military bases has led to groundwater contamination by unspent fuels and AFFF chemicals. Formulations of AFFF contain fluoroalkyl surfactants manufacturer by telomerization by electrofluorination processes. Telomer sulfonates have the general formula RfCH2CH2SO3- where Rf = F(CF2CF2)n and n= 3-7. Their partially fluorinated alkyl chains are characterized as linear with only an even number of carbons. The (CH2CH2) unit in the 6:2 telomer sulfonate differentiates it from perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Groundwater samples collected from three U.S. military bases including Tyndall, Fallon, and Wurtsmith Air Force Base were analyzed for telomer sulfonates, perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, and perfluoroalkyl and carboxylates by direct injection, liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS). To obtain low baselines for the 6:2 telomer sulfonate, it was necessary to remove all the Teflon tubing from the LC. The telomer sulfonates were discovered serendipitously when groundwater samples were scanned to determine if the 6:2 telomer sulfonate could be used as an internal standard. Telomer sulfonates (6:2 and 8:2) were detected in all 4 groundwater samples from Tyndall Air Force Base and in 15 out of 18 samples from Wurtsmith Air Force Base. The 6:2 telomer sulfonate ranged from below the limit of quantitation (0.005 mg/L) to 0.17 mg/L; the 8:2 telomer sulfonate was less frequently detected and at lower concentrations than the 6:2 telomer sulfonate. No correlation was found between the distribution or concentration of telomer sulfonates relative to perfluoroalkyl sulfonates and carboxylates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detection and quantification of telomer sulfonates in groundwater.

Key words: groundwater, fluorochemical, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry