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Collection of multimedia measurements to evaluate PFAS human exposure sources in the residential environment

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals with unique properties and functionality that enable multiple industrial processes and product applications. PFAS are generally persistent, widely distributed in environmental media, and linked to various adverse health effects. The primary pathway of PFAS exposure to impacted communities is through contaminated drinking water. While many studies have demonstrated exposures from contaminated drinking water in such communities, less is known about the contribution of exposure from sources within the residential environment.

Objective

Measurement data on the nature and level of PFAS in house dust, indoor surfaces, indoor air, soil and wristbands are required to identify and understand important pathways for human exposure.

Methods

In this study, we collected house dust, surface wipe, indoor air, wristband, and soil samples at homes recruited from two communities previously impacted by drinking water contamination, one in Massachusetts and one in Delaware. At every home (n = 79), a floor dust sample was collected, while in a subset of homes (n = 28), more extensive environmental sampling was conducted. All samples collected were analyzed for up to 70 PFAS depending on the sample type.

Results

PFAS were found in all types of household samples, with 30 different PFAS detected in ≥50% of homes for at least one sample type. Vacuum dust, floor dust and soil had the highest detection rates across most PFAS. However, certain PFAS precursors were more prevalent in surface wipes, indoor air, and wristbands (e.g., FTOHs, FOSEs, FOSAs). diPAPs were widely detected across all sample types and had the highest concentrations among all analytes in dust, surface wipes and wristbands. A comparative analysis between the two sampling sites highlighted significant differences in PFAS profiles, with Delaware exhibiting higher levels of PFAAs in dust and soil, while Massachusetts showed greater concentrations of diPAPs across various media sampled.

Significance

These findings highlight the widespread presence of PFAS in the residential environment, and the need for mitigation strategies that address both legacy compounds and emerging precursors across numerous media.

Impact

  • This study advances application of methods for sampling and measuring PFAS in the residential environment. The analysis improves our understanding of the relative importance of PFAS exposure sources in communities previously impacted by contaminated drinking water.

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Fig. 1: Heatmap of the PFAS detection rates across the seven sampled household media across the two PFAS Exposure Investigation sites.
Fig. 2: Heatmap of the distribution of median PFAS concentrations across the seven sampled household media.
Fig. 3: Comparison of median PFAS levels in MA and DE.
Fig. 4: PFAS composition by type across media and sites.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the study cannot be shared publicly due to requirements to protect the privacy of study participants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the PFAS Exposure Investigations study participants for graciously consenting to field sample collections in their homes. We thank the many people that contributed to sample collection and chemical/data analysis. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. EPA.

Funding

This work was funded and sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under and Interagency Agreement with ATSDR (IAA Number DW-075-95955001-0). This research was supported in part by an appointment to the U.S. EPA Research Participation Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. EPA. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) under DOE contract number DE-SC0014664.

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Author notes

  1. Kent Thomas

    Present address: , Chapel Hill, NC, USA

  2. Nicole M. DeLuca

    Present address: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    Jeffrey M. Minucci, Kent Thomas, Nicole M. DeLuca, Peter P. Egeghy & Elaine A. Cohen Hubal

  2. ORISE at U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    Jason D. Boettger & Dylan J. Wallis

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Contributions

Conceptualization: KT, ECH; Methodology: JMM, KT, NMD, PE, ECH; Validation: KT, JB, DW; Formal analysis: JMM; Investigation: KT; Writing - original draft: JMM, KT, ECH; Writing – review & editing: JMM, KT, NMD, JB, DW, PE, ECH; Visualization: JMM; Project administration: KT, ECH; Funding acquisition: KT, ECH.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elaine A. Cohen Hubal.

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Minucci, J.M., Thomas, K., Boettger, J.D. et al. Collection of multimedia measurements to evaluate PFAS human exposure sources in the residential environment. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-025-00805-y

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