Fate of Selected Fluorotelomer Compounds in Soils and Aqueous Systems.

Fluorotelomer-based compounds are highly fluorinated organics that are uniquely both hydrophobic and oleophobic, thus widely utilized in industrial and consumer products to change surface properties (e.g., rendering textile fabrics stain-resistant). These products are suspected to contain or degrade into fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and subsequently into perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) including perfluorooctanoate, which has been globally detected in wildlife, humans and the environment. We will summarize our recent work on the degradation of selected fluorotelomer-based compounds by bacteria and fungi, abiotic hydrolysis of a subset of compounds in soils and aqueous solutions, and the association of several fluorotelomer alcohols with dissolved organic matter from environmentally relevant sources.