Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Textiles Present in Unused Structural Firefighter Turnout Gear and Wildland Gear.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment
Oral Presentation

Prepared by A. Thompson, A. Maizel, A. Rodowa, A. Tombaugh, J. Reiner, R. Davis
National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 224 Rm A261, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 301-975-5163

ABSTRACT

Structural firefighter turnout gear includes jackets and pants that are increasingly recognized as a potential source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure to firefighters. Turnout gear also contains other protective articles that contact firefighter skin, including hoods and gloves. Additionally, wildland firefighters typically wear gear that includes a shirt and pants, each made of a single layer, to allow easier movement relative to the heavier jacket and pants worn by structural firefighters. To determine the identity, concentration, and prevalence of PFAS in unused firefighting textiles, 55 nonvolatile, semivolatile, and volatile PFAS were quantified across 52 textile samples. Each textile contained between zero and 17 detectable PFAS above reporting limits. Among structural firefighter jackets and pants layers, moisture barriers and outer shells had the highest PFAS concentrations, with summed PFAS concentrations in an individual textile reaching 1,865 μg/kg ± 88 μg/kg and 1,890 μg/kg ± 180 μg/kg, respectively, compared to 5.66 μg/kg ± 0.19 μg/kg in thermal liners. In structural firefighter glove layers, moisture barriers also contained the highest summed PFAS concentrations, totaling 118.9 μg/kg ± 7.1 μg/kg in an individual textile. Textiles in hoods had the lowest overall PFAS concentrations, with a maximum of 0.6 μg/kg ± 0.1 μg/kg in an individual textile. In contrast, wildland firefighter gear contained the highest summed PFAS concentrations, where concentrations totaled as high as 4240 μg/kg ± 890 μg/kg in an individual textile. These findings indicate significant variability in PFAS concentrations within and across different textile types, suggesting that PFAS levels in new turnout gear depend on the specific materials used in its construction.