PFAS, a large group of controversial chemicals, have long been at the center of debate due to their known persistence in the environment and potential health effects. Contamination, as is now known, is truly widespread: they are present in water, soil and food, and one of the difficulties is understanding precisely what the sources of their spread are.
Now a study, conducted by the Sapienza University of Rome together with the CNR, offers a first scientific tool to address this problem. The researchers have in fact analyzed the chemical characteristics of the PFAS present in different areas and have managed to identify specific “fingerprints” that differentiate the compounds produced by different industrial processes. In other words, each PFAS carries with it information that can indicate its origin.
The technique that reveals the “signature” of PFAS
Until now, scientific instruments made it possible to measure concentrations of PFAS in the environment, but not to trace their precise origin. The research team’s innovation consists in the use of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), a technique that directly analyzes individual chemical compounds, overcoming the limits of traditional isotopic analyses.
Stable isotope analysis is a technique that allows us to identify the source of pollution and understand how contaminants transform in the environment. In the case of PFAS, environmental samples contain many different organic molecules, so an ‘ensemble’ isotopic analysis does not allow obtaining the isotopic signature of a single compound. For this reason, CSIA is used, which allows the substance of interest to be directly analyzed – explain the researchers.
Dr. Di Marcantonio, under the guidance of professors Luigi Dallai and Massimo Marchesi, developed an innovative CSIA method which allowed us to obtain reliable results for the traceability of the most widespread PFAS, such as PFOA, PFHpA and PFDA. The study highlighted significant isotopic differences between PFAS of different origins, paving the way for identifying sources of contamination.
The ability to link PFAS to the source from which they come represents a huge step forward in the fight against chemical pollution. With this technique, responsibilities can no longer be easily passed off: polluters leave a real chemical “signature” in the environment, traceable by researchers.
So, in addition to providing a powerful tool for environmental authorities, this discovery offers concrete hope for a future in which PFAS contamination can be detected and managed more effectively. The study in fact opens the way to the possibility of identifying the company or specific source that released these dangerous chemicals.
The results of this all-Italian research were published in the magazine Science of The Total Environment.
