Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katarzyna Mokra
Summary: Endocrine disruptors are chemical compounds that cause hormonal imbalance in the body even at low concentrations, leading to various harmful health disorders. PFASs, particularly long- and short-chain variants, have gained significant attention due to their long-lasting presence in the human body and environment, potentially causing short- and long-term health effects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wu Wen, Lu Xiao, Diexuan Hu, Zhining Zhang, Yilin Xiao, Xiaoman Jiang, Shangwei Zhang, Xinghui Xia
Summary: This study investigated the bioaccumulation and fractionation of 11 PFAAs along an aquatic food chain. The results showed that shorter chain PFAAs had lower proportions in organisms compared to exposure water, while longer chain PFAAs had higher proportions. Predation promoted these fractionation differences, with shorter chain PFAAs being replaced by their longer chain analogues. This study highlights the importance of considering fractionation in studying the environmental behaviors and ecological risks of multiple PFAAs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katsumi Iwabuchi, Itaru Sato
Summary: The study demonstrates that household water purifiers are effective in reducing exposure to PFASs through drinking water, with removal efficiency varying between different models. Model C was the most effective, while Model D was the least effective. Additionally, the removal efficiency differed based on the carbon chain length of PFASs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
Takshak Shende, Gangadhar Andaluri, Rominder Suri
Summary: The power density affects the dynamics of chemical reactions during ultrasonic degradation, with higher power density leading to faster degradation of PFOA and PFOS. Additionally, the addition of oxidants and increasing water temperature can enhance the degradation process.
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
E. Piva, A. Giorgetti, P. Ioime, L. Morini, F. Freni, F. Lo Faro, F. Pirani, M. Montisci, P. Fais, J. P. Pascali
Summary: There are geographical differences in the presence and prevalence of PFAS in the hair of the Italian population, with hair analysis being a useful tool for assessing PFAS exposure on a regional scale. However, no significant differences in the amount of PFAS were observed based on gender or age groups.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sunhwa Park, Deok-Hyun Kim, Jong-Hyun Yoon, Jong-Beom Kwon, Hyeonhee Choi, Sun-Kyoung Shin, Moonsu Kim, Hyun-Koo Kim
Summary: This research studies the concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in shallow groundwater in South Korea. The results show that the average concentration of PFASs ranged from non-detectable to 45.2 ng/L, with the major compounds being PFOA, PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHxS, and PFOS. The detection patterns of PFASs varied for different aquifers.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
John F. Stults, Youn Jeong Choi, Charles E. Schaefer, Tissa H. Illangasekare, Christopher P. Higgins
Summary: Predicting the transport of PFAAs in the vadose zone is crucial for cleanup and risk mitigation. This study introduces a novel experimental method to estimate the chemical partitioning parameters of PFAAs in unsaturated soils, and reevaluates previous research to discover transport nonidealities in unsaturated systems that were previously overlooked.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Carrie A. McDonough, Wenting Li, Heather N. Bischel, Amila O. De Silva, Jamie C. DeWitt
Summary: Assessing the health risks associated with PFASs is a complex problem that requires collaboration among scientists, risk assessors, and regulators. One pressing question is the significance of pre-PFAAs, which degrade to persistent perfluoroalkyl acids, in human exposure and health risk assessment. This article provides an overview of recent progress and recommendations to broaden the understanding of PFAS exposure by considering the pre-PFAA subclass.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, Tran Thi Lieu, Hoang Quoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Anh Huong, Nguyen Trong Nghia, Nguyen Thi Chuc, Phan Dinh Quang, Phung Thi Vi, Le Huu Tuyen
Summary: The concentrations and profiles of 17 PFAS were analyzed in freshwater fish samples from West Lake and Yen So Lake in Vietnam. The study found that PFAS concentrations were higher in fish blood samples, and liver samples had significantly higher levels compared to muscle samples. The majority of PFAS were found in muscle and blood, with individual compounds contributing to the overall burden to varying degrees. The most common PFAS substances were PFOS and PFA with chain lengths from C10 to C14. There were no significant differences in PFAS concentrations between different fish species, although common carp showed specific PFAS profiles compared to other species.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Takshak Shende, Gangadhar Andaluri, Rominder Suri
Summary: The study found that the decomposition rate of PFOA and PFOS increases in air compared to reported results, and the degradation rate of PFOA in gases follows the order Helium > Nitrogen > Argon > Oxygen > Ozone. The presence of known/unknown chemical compounds formed during sonolysis was found to influence the interaction of PFOA and PFOS with the cavity-water interface.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Derek Muir, Luc T. Miaz
Summary: PFAS, specifically PFCAs and PFSAs, have been widely detected in global surface waters since the early 2000s. The majority of measurements come from coastal seas in Western Europe, China, Korea, and Japan, with highest median concentrations reported in China's Bohai and Yellow Seas region as well as Europe's North and Baltic seas. Significant declines in median PFSAs and C7-C12 PFCAs were observed in the period 2012-2018 in these regions, and for 2004-2017 in the Great Lakes. Mass discharge estimates indicate continued substantial riverine emissions of long chain PFCAs in the coastal seas of China and reductions in emissions for Western European rivers compared to earlier time periods.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Geraldo Neto, Martin Bobak, Juan P. Gonzalez-Rivas, Jana Klanova
Summary: This study examines the association between PFAS and depression, finding a significant association between PFOA and depression in the overall sample, and significant associations between PFNA and PFDA and depression in the group with normal body fat status. Further research should investigate the role of obesity and possible mechanisms linking PFAS to depression.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bo Sha, Jana H. Johansson, Jonathan P. Benskin, Ian T. Cousins, Matthew E. Salter
Summary: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are enriched in sea spray aerosols (SSA) with a strong linear relationship to water concentration. The particle surface-area-to-volume ratio is a key predictor of PFAAs enrichment in supermicron particles, while the differences in enrichment behaviors between submicron and supermicron particles are likely due to different production mechanisms. Seawater concentrations of PFAAs have little influence on enrichment factors (EFs) in SSA emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiyi Xu, Christel Nielsen, Ying Li, Sofia Hammarstrand, Eva M. Andersson, Huiqi Li, Daniel S. Olsson, Karin Engstrom, Daniela Pineda, Christian H. Lindh, Tony Fletcher, Kristina Jakobsson
Summary: The drinking water supplied to one third of households in Ronneby, southern Sweden was highly contaminated by PFAS, with residents showing significantly elevated serum PFAS levels in comparison to a reference group. PFHxS, PFOS, and PFOA levels were much higher in the residents, with age and gender influencing the serum PFAS levels.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fatima A. Hussain, Samuel E. Janisse, Marie C. Heffern, Maureen Kinyua, Jesus M. Velazquez
Summary: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasingly found in drinking water globally. This research focuses on the adsorption of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) using mesoporous hafnium oxide (MHO) ceramic. The experiments show that the adsorption capacity of PFOA by MHO is higher at lower pH values, and the solid MHO can be regenerated through calcination, reducing the amount of toxic solid waste.
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. Gassmann, O. Olsson, C. Stammb, M. Weiler, K. Kuemmerer
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2015)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Manuel Herrmann, Jakob Menz, Matthias Gassmann, Oliver Olsson, Klaus Kuemmerer
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2016)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Thorsten Stahl, Matthias Gassmann, Sandy Falk, Hubertus Brunn
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2018)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Matthias Gassmann
Summary: This study documented and analyzed peer-reviewed applications of 10 models with 20 publications on the formation and transport of transformation products (TP) of pesticides in the aquatic environment. The reviewed models significantly differ in complexity regarding TP formation rate and pathways, with erroneous substance transport identified as a major reason for model failure to reproduce TP concentrations. The study recommended updates to the models to reflect current knowledge, integration of models for comprehensive TP fate assessment, and development of catchment scale models capable of simulating TP fate.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caroline Spill, Matthias Gassmann
Summary: Physically based models have been widely used in studying the transport of pesticides and nutrients, but their validation for veterinary medicinal products is limited. This study applied a physically based leaching model to simulate the transport of sulfamethazine over a long period of time and found that calibration period and parameter correlations have significant effects on the prediction accuracy.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tejas Kulkarni, Matthias Gassmann, C. M. Kulkarni, Vijayalaxmi Khed, Andreas Buerkert
Summary: This study investigates the over-exploitation of groundwater in Bengaluru, India, where wells are being drilled to unprecedented depths in a crystalline-rock aquifer. It demonstrates that increasing borewell depths could be a good indicator for falling aquifer water levels, highlighting the difficulties of reliable groundwater monitoring in this region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eva Weidemann, Rene Laemmer, Thorsten Stahl, Bernd Goeckener, Mark Buecking, Jorn Breuer, Janine Kowalczyk, Hildegard Just, Runa S. Boeddinghaus, Matthias Gassmann
Summary: This study investigated the leaching behavior and fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), finding that nontransformable PFAS could not reach molecular balance, while transformable precursors had high adsorption rates and different transformation products and rates in soil. The experiments with contaminated soil showed the challenge of estimating PFAS leaching and emphasized the need for qualitative assessments and quantitative measurements using different analytical methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Hildegard Just, Bernd Goeckener, Rene Laemmer, Lars Wiedemann-Krantz, Thorsten Stahl, Joern Breurer, Matthias Gassmann, Eva Weidemann, Mark Bucking, Janine Kowalczyk
Summary: This study investigates the degradation and transfer rates of fluorotelomer precursors and F-53B in soil. The results show that short-chain PFCAs can be translocated to the shoots, while long-chain PFCAs mainly remain in the soil. Fluorotelomer phosphate diesters exhibit the highest degradation potential in the soil.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Rene Laemmer, Eva Weidemann, Bernd Goeckener, Thorsten Stahl, Joern Breuer, Janine Kowalczyk, Hildegard Just, Runa S. Boeddinghaus, Matthias Gassmann, Hans-Willi Kling, Mark Buecking
Summary: This study examines the behavior of 6:2 and 8:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diester (diPAP) under near-natural conditions. The results show that diPAP can transform into perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and enter groundwater through leaching. The study also reveals that even after the experiment, the soil still contains high levels of diPAP and PFCAs. This research highlights the potential human exposure to hazardous PFCAs through drinking water and irrigation.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amani Mahindawansha, Marius Jost, Matthias Gassmann
Summary: This study investigated isotopic data in precipitation in a low mountain range in North Hesse, Germany, for one year, revealing the influence of factors such as altitude, rainfall amount, and air temperature on isotopic composition. The results showed seasonal variations with enrichment in warmer months and depletion in colder months, with different processes affecting precipitation differently in different seasons.
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Amani Mahindawansha, Marius Jost, Matthias Gassmann
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caroline Spill, Lukas Ditzel, Matthias Gassmann
Summary: In rural catchments, point sources such as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) or wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have a significant impact on water quantity and quality, especially during events. Poorly treated wastewater from WWTPs contributes significantly to water pollution, with increasing concentrations of ammonium-N and ortho-phosphorus throughout the year. Rural settlements have a major and variable impact on stream hydrology and water quality.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2023)