The innovation will potentially transform how scientists monitor toxic “forever chemicals” in homes, workplaces and public spaces, introducing a faster and safer way to identify airborne contamination within seconds instead of days or weeks.
The breakthrough centres on a technology known as superoxide chemical ionization mass spectrometry, or O2-CIMS.
Unlike traditional PFAS monitoring systems that rely on hazardous chemicals and lengthy lab analysis, the new approach allows researchers to measure airborne PFAS with high sensitivity while using safer reagents that are easier to deploy outside laboratory environments.
The findings could significantly improve understanding of how airborne PFAS spread through indoor and outdoor environments.
Researchers also discovered measurable emissions from common fast-food packaging at room temperature, highlighting concerns about everyday exposure to airborne PFAS from consumer products.
Why airborne PFAS are becoming a bigger concern
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals widely used in products designed to resist grease, water, and stains.
They appear in nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, food packaging, and firefighting foam. Because these chemicals break down extremely slowly, they have earned the nickname forever chemicals.
While most PFAS research has focused on contaminated drinking water and soil, scientists are increasingly examining airborne PFAS as a possible route of human exposure.
Certain PFAS compounds can evaporate into the air and circulate indoors or outdoors, where they may later be inhaled or deposited onto surfaces.
Monitoring airborne PFAS has traditionally been difficult. Standard testing methods typically involve collecting air samples over long periods before sending them to a laboratory for processing.
That means researchers only receive an averaged snapshot of contamination levels rather than real-time data showing how emissions fluctuate moment by moment.
A faster and safer PFAS detection system
The new system developed at UNC-Chapel Hill addresses several of those limitations.
Existing real-time PFAS monitoring tools often depend on hazardous chemicals such as methyl iodide or nitric acid to generate ions for detection. Those chemicals require extensive ventilation systems, making portable field deployment challenging.
The research team instead used superoxide as the reagent ion. According to the study, this safer alternative maintained strong detection performance while simplifying mobile operation.
The instrument was capable of identifying airborne PFAS at concentrations below one part per trillion by volume, allowing researchers to detect extremely small amounts of contamination.
The mobility of the system could prove especially valuable for environmental monitoring. Scientists frequently use mobile laboratories to study pollution near industrial facilities, disaster zones or densely populated communities.
Reducing the need for toxic supporting chemicals makes real-time airborne PFAS monitoring more practical in those settings.
Unique chemical fingerprints improve accuracy
During testing, researchers evaluated several PFAS compounds commonly associated with industrial and consumer products. The system performed particularly well when measuring fluorotelomer alcohols, or FTOHs, which are among the PFAS compounds known to become airborne more easily.
One important advantage involved the instrument’s ability to generate distinctive chemical “fingerprints” for specific compounds.
Those signatures provide additional confirmation about which airborne PFAS chemicals are present, potentially reducing the need for more time-consuming laboratory analysis techniques such as gas chromatography or liquid chromatography.
That capability may help lower costs and accelerate environmental investigations, particularly in situations where rapid contamination assessments are needed.
Fast-food packaging experiment raises exposure questions
Researchers also tested emissions from fast-food wrappers and packaging materials.
The instrument immediately detected airborne PFAS emissions from a compound known as 6:2 FTOH, even at room temperature. When the packaging materials were rubbed together, emissions increased further.
The findings suggest that ordinary consumer products may release airborne PFAS into indoor environments more readily than previously understood.
Researchers noted that heating food packaging could potentially increase those emissions, raising additional questions about exposure inside homes and restaurants.
Although the technology showed strong performance for certain airborne PFAS compounds, it did not detect every type equally well.
Some PFAS acids remained difficult to measure using the superoxide-based system alone. Researchers said the new method is intended to complement, rather than fully replace, older iodide-based monitoring systems.
Together, the two systems may offer scientists a more complete picture of airborne PFAS contamination and how these persistent chemicals move through the environment.