Presenter: Katrina Mason (University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M University)

Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals widely used to manufacture heat, moisture, friction, and oil/grease resistant products for industrial or commercial purposes. They persist in the environment; they dissolve in water but can also sorb to organic material. Their environmental mobility and ecotoxicity can pose threats to the health of humans and biota. This project aims to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of PFAS in Galveston Bay (GB). GB is a highly industrialized estuary in Texas with numerous commercial and recreational activities such as petrochemical trade, swimming, and fishing. Weak Anion-eXchange (WAX) solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were used to extract and quantify PFAS in GB water samples collected quarterly since 2017. Baseline concentrations were established as average concentrations in months without major weather or anthropogenic events. Eleven PFAS compounds arranging from C4 to C10 exceeded our calculated baseline concentrations in the northwestern region of GB by at least three-fold in March 2019, the month of the Deer Park Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) fire. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a PFAS compound found in legacy aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), was detected at levels approximately 61 times greater than its baseline. Most of the eleven chemicals detected at unusually high concentrations are known AFFF ingredients. PFAS were also detected in months without major events, suggesting that the San Jacinto River and Trinity River could be nonpoint sources of PFAS to GB.