Distribution and effects of branched versus linear isomers of PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS: A review of recent literature
Abstract
Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have come to attention recently due to their widespread presence in the environment, recalcitrance, and potential negative health associations. Because of the long-term production of PFAS using ECF, which created branched isomers as byproducts in addition to the intended linear product, branched isomers of PFAS account for a significant portion of PFAS load in the environment. The distribution of isomers is not consistent in the environment, however. Geographic location appears to be a major factor in determining the isomer makeup of PFAS in surface and groundwater as well as in humans and animals. This is largely to differences in production methods; a region that produced PFAS via ECF for many years would have a higher ratio of branched isomers than one that produces PFAS using telomerization. In addition, the different structures of branched PFAS isomers as compared to linear PFAS appear to affect transport in the environment. Research suggests that linear PFAS sorb preferentially to soil and sediments, whereas branched isomers are more likely to remain in water. The higher polarity of the branched structure explains this difference. Studies in humans and animals show that most animals preferentially accumulate the linear PFOS isomer, but humans appear to preferentially accumulate the branched isomers as they are often found in human serum at percentages higher than that of ECF product. In addition, some studies have indicated that linear and branched PFAS isomers have some unique negative health associations. Very few studies, however, account for linear and branched PFAS separately.
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Linear PFAS prefer to partition into soil and sediments, whereas branched isomers prefer to remain in the aqueous phase.
“Linear PFAS prefer to partition into the soil and sediments, whereas the branched isomers prefer to remain in aqueous phase.”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A critical review of their global occurrence and distribution (2022) · cites this paper as Schulz et al., 2020
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- Authors
- Schulz, K., Silva, M. R., & Klaper, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (US)
- Corresponding author
- Klaper, Rebecca
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-09
- Volume
- 733
- Pages
- 139186
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3022454461
- Cited by
- 259
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 44 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 2.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (IIP-1540032)
- Marquette University (IIP-1540010)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Chemical Analysis and Environmental Impact
- Keywords
- perfluorinated compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOS, PFHxS, telomerization, groundwater contamination, surface water contamination, bioaccumulation, environmental transport, health effects
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