Fate of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Acids in the Total Oxidizable Precursor Assay and Implications for the Analysis of Impacted Water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used anthropogenic chemicals. The PFAS class includes almost 5000 registered compounds, but analytical methods are lacking for most PFASs. The total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay was developed to indirectly quantify unknown PFASs that are precursors to commonly measured perfluoroalkyl acids. To understand the behavior of recently identified per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs), including fluorinated replacements and manufacturing byproducts, we determined the fate of 15 PFEAs in the TOP assay. Ten perfluoroalkyl ether acids and a chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether acid (F-53B) were stable in the TOP assay and represent terminal products that are likely as persistent as historically used PFASs. Adding perfluoroalkyl ether acids and F-53B to the target analyte list for the TOP assay is recommended to capture a higher percentage of the total PFAS concentration in environmental samples. In contrast, polyfluoroalkyl ether acids with a -O-CFH- moiety were oxidized, typically to products that could not be identified by liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Application of the TOP assay in its proposed enhanced form revealed high levels of PFEAs, the presence of precursors that form perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, and the absence of precursors that form PFEAs in surface water impacted by PFAS-containing wastewater discharges.