Bioindicators for monitoring atmospheric perfluorinated compounds: review of occurrences, transport, fate and analytical protocols

Environmental context Perfluorinated compounds are emerging organic contaminants recently detected in various environmental matrices and remain largely unregulated. Among these matrices, air is the least studied one due to analytical challenges. This review explores emerging trends in analysing perfluorinated compounds in air with the use of bioindicators and highlights future research needs to address existing gaps in detection and monitoring. Abstract Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are persistent organic pollutants with extensive industrial applications, including in firefighting foams, nonstick coatings and textiles. Their environmental contamination is widespread due to their resistance to degradation and long-range atmospheric transport, leading to their presence in various ecosystems. PFCs pose significant hazards, including bioaccumulation, endocrine disruption, hormonal imbalances and potential carcinogenic effects. Despite their ubiquity in environmental compartments, atmospheric studies remain limited due to analytical challenges. This review provides the first comprehensive analysis of biomonitoring of PFCs in the atmosphere using bioindicators. The databases consulted for the review include Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed and Google Scholar. By examining existing literature, we identify key research gaps, highlight analytical limitations and underscore the need for standardised methods to improve monitoring accuracy.