An Investigation into PFAS in Artificial Turf around Stockholm

The objective of this work was to investigate the occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in artificial turfs around Stockholm. A list of 103 football fields located in Stockholm containing artificial turf was provided by the City of Stockholm and a stratified design was used to randomly select a limited number of locations for sampling. Following collection, samples were analysed for total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and target PFAS. Detectable levels of total fluorine were observed in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 13-310 µg/g in backing, 8-305 µg/g in filling materials, and 20-652 µg/g in blade samples. EOF analyses revealed fluorine in 6 samples of backing (≤145 ng F/g), 6 filling materials (≤179 ng F/g), and 9 blade samples (≤192 ng F/g), while target PFAS were only detected in 3 filling and 12 backing samples at very low concentrations (≤0.782 ng F/g). Overall these findings suggest that PFAS occurring in artificial turf components are polymeric and therefore unlikely to be readily bioavailable. Nevertheless, their identities and fate require further investigation, in particular with regards to disposal.