Properties, occurrence, and fate of fluorotelomer sulfonates

ABSTRACT

Fluorotelomer sulfonates (FtSAs) are found in human blood and in environmental media, yet have received relatively little attention compared to the more commonly studied perfluorinated alkyl substances such as perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate. The FtSA class is overlooked in many reviews on highly fluorinated substances. This review summarizes the state of knowledge on their properties, analytical chemistry, and occurrence of FtSAs in humans and other organisms as well as environmental media. The review also includes their formation as biodegradation intermediates of precursors and current information on their treatment by remediation technologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Biodegradation
• fluorotelomer sulfonates
• occurrence
• point sources
• remediation
• treatment

Funding

This work was supported by Versar Consultant Agreement 00885 on behalf of the US EPA and by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) grant ER-2128. The development of this review was supported by Versar Consultant Agreement (CA) 00885 on behalf of the US EPA and SERDP grant ER-2128.