Occurrence of Ultra-Short Chain PFASs in Bottled Beverages and New Jersey Tap Water

Abstract Ultra-short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are highly mobile, persistent, and difficult to monitor using conventional PFAS workflows, leaving their occurrence in bottled beverages and tap water poorly characterized. We screened five ultra-short-chain PFASs [trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA), perfluoromethanesulfonic acid (PFMeS), perfluoroethanesulfonic acid (PFEtS), and perfluoropropanesulfonic acid (PFPrS)] in 113 samples: 43 bottled beverages and 70 New Jersey tap water samples across 21 counties. TFA was the dominant analyte, with a detection frequency (DF) of 86.7% across all samples analyzed. PFPrA (DF, 23.9%), PFEtS (DF, 11.5%), and PFPrS (DF, 9.73%) were detected less frequently, with concentrations ranging from 2.60 to 7640 ng L–1. PFMeS was not detected. The concentration of TFA ranged from 74.0 to 1360 ng L–1 (DF, 91.4%) in tap water and from 59.6 to 94 100 ng L–1 (DF, 79.1%) in bottled beverages. Among bottled beverages, formulated beverages (n = 12; 15 400 ng L–1) contained substantially higher mean TFA concentrations than bottled water (n = 31; 295 ng L–1), a 52.2-fold difference. As the first statewide monitoring study of ultra-short-chain PFASs in the United States, this work demonstrates widespread TFA occurrence and supports the need for coordinated nationwide surveys.