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Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we determined the first nationwide inventories of 13 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in U.S. biosolids via analysis of samples collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 2001 National Sewage Sludge Survey. Perfluorooctane sulfonate

Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we determined the first nationwide inventories of 13 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in U.S. biosolids via analysis of samples collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 2001 National Sewage Sludge Survey. Perfluorooctane sulfonate [PFOS; 403 +/- 127 ng/g dry weight (dw)] was the most abundant PFAS detected in biosolids composites representing 32 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, followed by perfluorooctanoate [PFOA; 34 +/- 22 ng/g dw] and perfluorodecanoate [PFDA; 26 +/- 20 ng/g dw]. Mean concentrations in U.S. biosolids of the remaining ten PFASs ranged between 2 and 21 ng/g dw. Interestingly, concentrations of PFOS determined here in biosolids collected prior to the phase-out period (2002) were similar to levels reported in the literature for recent years. The mean load of Sigma PFASs in U.S. biosolids was estimated at 2749-3450 kg/year, of which about 1375-2070 kg is applied on agricultural land and 467-587 kg goes to landfills as an alternative disposal route. This study informs the risk assessment of PFASs by furnishing national inventories of PFASs occurrence and environmental release via biosolids application on land.

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Title
  • National Inventory of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Archived U.S. Biosolids From the 2001 EPA National Sewage Sludge Survey
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Date Created
2013-09-05
Resource Type
  • Text
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    Identifier
    • Digital object identifier: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.03.016
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      0304-3894
    • Identifier Type
      International standard serial number
      Identifier Value
      1873-3336
    Note
    • Includes supplementary materials.

      NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Hazardous Materials, 252, 413-418. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.03.016

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    Venkatesan, A. K., & Halden, R. U. (2013). National inventory of perfluoroalkyl substances in archived US biosolids from the 2001 EPA national sewage sludge survey. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 252, 413-418. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.03.016

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