By: Qian Zhang, UL Research Institutes
Authors of the Manuscript Featured: Clara M. A. Eichler, Mahender Singh Rawat, Naomi Y. Chang, Elizabeth Brown, Sujan Fernando, Thomas M. Holsen, Glenn C. Morrison, Andrea R. Ferro, and Barbara J. Turpin
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitously present in indoor environments like homes, exposure to which can happen via inhalation of airborne components and ingestion of house dust. Previous studies showed the distribution of volatile and semi-volatile chemicals in dust particles could be associated with different size fractions, while the knowledge gap still exists for PFAS. Therefore, to better understand exposure and health implications, it is important to study the influence of dust particle size on PFAS load. This study investigated the relationship between dust particle size and PFAS concentration in house dust. House dust samples were collected in ten homes in North Carolina and seven homes in New York using a vacuum method. Collected dust was sieved and separated into different size fractions ranging from below 63 µm to over 1180 µm. Dust samples were analyzed for neutral PFAS, ionic/ionizable PFAS, and extractable organic fluorine. In addition, neutral PFAS in gas phase were collected and analyzed for dust-air partition coefficient calculation. Targeted analyte list included nine neutral PFAS and up to 38 ionic/ionizable PFAS.
The results showed large varieties in the detected PFAS species and concentrations in different dust particle size fractions as well as in different homes and locations. The relationship between PFAS concentrations and size fractions also showed varying patterns. However, similar trends were found for neutral PFAS across homes, where significant and negative correlation was found between neutral PFAS and dust size fraction with Pearson correlation coefficients of -0.7 to -0.9. Higher neutral PFAS concentrations were found in smaller size dust, which could be associated with gas phase components partitioning into solid phase particles; this finding highlighted the importance of size information when assessing exposure to dust and PFAS. However, the trends of some perfluoroalkyl acids were inconclusive, indicating other migration pathways of PFAS to larger size fractions of dust, such as fibers from upholstery furniture at home. The dust-air partition coefficients of neutral PFAS were higher for smaller dust sizes compared to larger size factions. Overall, this study explored the PFAS composition in house dust with different size fractions, which is important in understanding exposure impacts of PFAS.
Further reading:
Eichler, C. M. A., Rawat, M. S., Chang, N. Y., Brown, E., Fernando, S., Holsen, T. M., Morrison, G. C., Ferro, A. R., and Turpin, B. J. (2026) The impact of particle size on PFAS concentrations in dust from homes in North Carolina and New York and implications for exposure. Aerosol Sci. Technol., Vol. 60, 54–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2025.2582532.
This Issue’s Newsletter Committee:
Editor | Lindsay Yee, University of California, Berkeley
Editor | Sarah Petters, University of California, Riverside
Senior Assistant Editor | Robert Nishida, University of Waterloo
Senior Assistant Editor | Qian Zhang, UL Research Institutes
Junior Assistant Editor | Jenna Ditto, Washington University in St. Louis