Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in household dust in Central Europe and North America

- Perfluorinated alkyl substances in indoor dust in 3 countries
- In general, PFASs levels were highest in the US and lowest in the Czech Republic.
- No differences were detected between bedroom and living room for PFASs concentrations.
- PFASs levels are decreasing in North America but not in Europe.

Concentrations of 20 perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) were measured in dust samples from 41 homes in Canada, the Czech Republic, and United States in the spring-summer of 2013. The most frequently detected compounds were perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) had the highest concentrations of PFASs in all countries. PFOS median concentrations for the three countries were between 9.1 and 14.1 ng/g, and PFOA medians ranged between 8.2 and 9.3 ng/g. In general, concentrations in North America were higher than in the Czech Republic, which is consistent with usage patterns. No differences were found for perfluorooctane sulfonamides/sulfonamidoethanols (FOSA/Es) levels due to the low number of detections. Homologue profiles suggest that the shift from longer to shorter chain PFASs is more advanced in North America than in Europe. Significant relationships were found among individual homologues and between PFAS concentrations in dust and type of floor, number of people living in the house, and building age.