First name: Parker
Last name: Chang
Class Year: 2025
Advisor: Krystal Pollitt
Essay Abstract:
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants, and non-targeted analytical techniques are needed to capture the diversity of PFAS exposures. This study sought to use non-targeted analyses to characterize indoor PFAS exposures from residential floor dust and to determine the effect of housing characteristics on PFAS abundance. Floor dust was collected from 194 homes in the HOME Study (2005-2008) and assessed using complementary gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). A trace fragment analysis was implemented for GC-HRMS data, and LC-HRMS data was processed using FluoroMatch 4.45. 257 unique PFAS were detected across all samples. PFAS structures detected per sample varied greatly: 0-62 by GC-HRMS and 2-25 by LC-HRMS. Although some exposures were common, most PFAS were detected in <10% of homes. In the initial linear regression analysis, increased carpeting was estimated to have a-20% effect on perfluorodecanesulfonic acid abundance (95%CI: -34,-5), and exposure from floor polish was identified as a potential mechanism for this observation.These findings underscore that PFAS exposures from floor dust are significant, diverse, and unique, emphasizing the need for analytical techniques that can capture PFAS diversity and help to identify solutions to reduce exposure.