The group recently published three papers that improve our understanding of the abundance, sources, and fate of atmospheric PFAS.
Daniel’s paper describing PFAS in an ice core from Mt. Oxford icefield in Nunavut, Canada was recently published in ESPI. This ice core represented 50 years of deposition and showed evidence of both direct and indirect sources of PFAS to this remote location.
Stephen’s new method that allows for the measurement of total fluorine in the gas phase was recently published in ES&T Letters. Application of the total gaseous fluorine method alongside speciated measurements shows there is a large quantity of “missing” fluorine in the atmosphere, similar to previous observations in the condensed phase.
A collaborative paper reported the first in situ ambient atmospheric measurements of PFCAs. The measurements were made using acetate-CIMS and showed atmospheric formation dominated the observed PFCAs, even in urban Toronto.
To read more about Daniel’s and Stephen’s papers, see this additional context.