Biotransformation pathways of fluorotelomer-based polyfluoroalkyl substances: A review
Open accessAbstract
The study reviews the current state of knowledge regarding the biotransformation of fluorotelomer-based compounds, with a focus on compounds that ultimately degrade to form perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs). Most metabolism studies have been performed with either microbial systems or rats and mice, and comparatively few studies have used fish models. Furthermore, biotransformation studies thus far have predominately used the 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH) as the substrate. However, there have been an increasing number of studies investigating 6:2 FTOH biotransformation as a result of industry's transition to shorter-chain fluorotelomer chemistry. Studies with the 8:2 FTOH metabolism universally show the formation of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and, to a smaller fraction, perfluorononanoate (PFNA) and lower-chain-length PFCAs. In general, the overall yield of PFOA is low, presumably because of the multiple branches in the biotransformation pathways, including conjugation reactions in animal systems. There have been a few studies of non-FTOH biotransformation, which include polyfluoroalkyl phosphates (PAPs), 8:2 fluorotelomer acrylate (8:2 FTAC), and fluorotelomer carboxylates (FTCAs, FTUCAs). The PAPs compounds and 8:2 FTAC were shown to be direct precursors to FTOHs and thus follow similar degradation pathways. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:243–267. © 2013 SETAC
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Telomerization-manufactured PFAS do not typically contain PFAAs, but do contain fluorotelomers that are now known to degrade to PFCAs.
“Telomerization-manufactured PFAS do not typically contain PFAAs (Backe et al., 2013), but do contain fluorotelomers that are now known to degrade to PFCAs (Buck et al., 2011; Butt et al., 2013; Harding-Marjanovic et al., 2015).”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) mass flux and mass balance at an aqueous film-forming foam release site in semiarid eastern New Mexico, USA (2025) · cites this paper as Butt et al., 2013
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- Authors
- Butt, C. M., Muir, D. C. G., & Mabury, S. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA)
- Venue
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-10-01
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 243-267
- ISSN
- 0730-7268 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-8618
- OpenAlex
- W1930337788
- Cited by
- 336
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 9
- FWCI
- 1.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Environmental Chemistry and Analysis
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Keywords
- biotransformation, perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, fluorotelomer alcohols, perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorononanoate, conjugation, microbial metabolism, fish metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bacteria, Biotransformation, Carboxylic Acids, Humans, Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated
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