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HERO ID
6416397
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
An (Eco)Toxicity Life Cycle Impact Assessment Framework for Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
Author(s)
Holmquist, H; Fantke, P; Cousins, IT; Owsianiak, M; Liagkouridis, I; Peters, GM
Year
2020
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Environmental Science & Technology
ISSN:
0013-936X
EISSN:
1520-5851
Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Location
WASHINGTON
Volume
54
Issue
10
Page Numbers
6224-6234
Language
English
PMID
32364377
DOI
10.1021/acs.est.9b07774
Web of Science Id
WOS:000537151000033
Abstract
A framework for characterizing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) is proposed. Thousands of PFASs are used worldwide, with special properties imparted by the fluorinated alkyl chain. Our framework makes it possible to characterize a large part of the family of PFASs by introducing transformation fractions that translate emissions of primary emitted PFASs into the highly persistent terminal degradation products: the perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Using a PFAA-adapted characterization model, human toxicity as well as marine and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity characterization factors are calculated for three PFAAs, namely perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS). The model is evaluated to adequately capture long-term fate, where PFAAs are predicted to accumulate in open oceans. The characterization factors of the three PFAAs are ranked among the top 5% for marine ecotoxicity, when compared to 3104 chemicals in the existing USEtox results databases. Uncertainty analysis indicates potential for equally high ranks for human health impacts. Data availability constitutes an important limitation creating uncertainties. Even so, a life cycle assessment (LCA) case study illustrates practical application of our proposed framework, demonstrating that even low emissions of PFASs can have large effects on LCA results.
Tags
•
PFAS 150
Literature Search Update December 2021
PubMed
WOS
Missing 2021 searches
Literature Search Update December 2020
PubMed
Literature Search August 2019
PubMed
Perfluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride
Perfluorohexanoic acid
1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro-2- (fluoromethoxy)propane
•
PFBS
Search
PubMed
Lit Search Update: May 2019 - May 2020
PubMed
Scopus: April 2021
•
PFHxA
LitSearch Update: May 2020 - April 2021
PubMed
WOS
Scopus: April 2021
HAWC
•
PFOA (335-67-1) and PFOS (1763-23-1)
LitSearch: Feb 2019 - May 2020
PubMed
Literature Search Update (Apr 2019 - Sep 2020)
PubMed
WOS
LitSearch Update (Sept 2020 - Feb 2022)
WOS
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