Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Textiles Present in Firefighter Gloves, Hoods, and Wildland Gear

Published

December 13, 2024

Author(s)

Andre Thompson, Andrew Maizel, Meghanne Tighe, Samuel Escobar Veras, Alix Rodowa, Bruce Benner, Audrey Tombaugh, Jessica Reiner, Michelle Donnelly, Ryan Falkenstein-Smith, John Kucklick, Catherine Rimmer, Rick Davis

Abstract

Firefighter turnout gear has been found to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and is a potential source of PFAS exposure to firefighters. However, previous evaluations of firefighter exposure to PFAS through personal protective gear has exclusively examined jackets and pants. In contrast, turnout gear 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 heavy jacket and pants worn by structural firefighters. To determine the identity, concentration, and prevalence of PFAS potentially present in unused textiles present in firefighting hoods, gloves, and wildland gear, fifty-five nonvolatile, semivolatile, and volatile PFAS were quantified in thirty-two textiles taken from gloves and hoods used by structural firefighters as well as wildland firefighter shirts and pants. Between zero and nine individual PFAS were observed above their respective reporting limits in each textile, with the highest numbers of detections and highest concentrations of PFAS present in wildland gear textiles, compared to glove textiles, which had the second highest, and hood textiles which had the lowest. 6:2 fluorotelomer methacrylate (6:2 FTMAC) and 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) are both fluorotelomerization-derived PFAS with six perfluorinated carbons, which were quantified at the highest concentrations of any PFAS reported here, up to 2980 μg/kg ± 820 μg/kg (mean ± standard deviation of triplicate measurements of single textile) and 1250 μg/kg ± 330 μg/kg, respectively. These two PFAS, however, were only detected in wildland firefighting gear textiles. Also observed in the wildland gear textiles were perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) with seven or fewer perfluorinated carbons at individual concentrations below 20 μg/kg. Four PFAS were observed in most of the glove layers: perfluorobutanoic acid, perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, perfluorobutane sulfonamide, and N-methyl perfluorobutane sulfonamide, with N-methyl perfluorobutane sulfonamide observed at the highest concentration, up to 117.2 ± 7.0 μg/kg. Five different PFAS were observed across all the hoods, but concentrations were less than 1 μg/kg. PFAS concentrations varied widely among each textile type, suggesting that the amount of PFAS present in unused firefighter gear may depend on the textiles used in gear manufacturing.

Citation

Technical Note (NIST TN) - 2313

Report Number

2313

NIST Pub Series

Technical Note (NIST TN)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2313

Local Download

Keywords

Gloves, hoods, moisture barrier, outer shell, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, thermal liner, turnout gear, wildland gear textiles, Firefighter

Citation

Thompson, A. , Maizel, A. , Tighe, M. , Escobar Veras, S. , Rodowa, A. , Benner, B. , Tombaugh, A. , Reiner, J. , Donnelly, M. , Falkenstein-Smith, R. , Kucklick, J. , Rimmer, C. and Davis, R. (2024), Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Textiles Present in Firefighter Gloves, Hoods, and Wildland Gear, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2313, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=958892 (Accessed January 17, 2025)