Occurrence of Legacy and Emerging Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Fluorocarbon Paint and Their Implications for Emissions in China

Although the use of fluorocarbon paint (FluorPa) is well known in China, the occurrence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in FluorPa, as well as the potential release of PFASs to the environment, is not well characterized. In the present study, a total of 64 emerging compounds belonging to nine classes of PFASs were identified in FluorPa samples (n = 16) based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and the multiple mass scale-adjusted Kendrick mass defect plot. Quantitative results showed that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the major contributor to legacy PFASs in most samples, with the highest concentration at 7.45 × 104 ng/g. The monohydro-substituted perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (H-PFCAs) were predominant emerging PFASs in 14 samples, while polyfluorinated sulfates (PFSs) were major in the other two samples. Moreover, two kinds of PFSs displayed the ratios to the highest PFOA value at 0.30 and 0.54 in those two samples, which amounts to several thousand ng/g, indicating their potential use in FluorPa. On the basis of the obtained data, the average amounts of legacy and emerging PFASs emissions being released into the environment via FluorPa were estimated to be 216 and 148 kg/year, respectively, indicating that the use of FluorPa will enhance the environmental risks from PFASs.