1. Megan Hartmann CHEM 4101 December 9th, 2011
PFOA in
Teflon Coated
Cookware
Megan Hartmann
CHEM 4101
December 9th, 2011

2. PFOA and Teflon Perfluorooctanoic Acid Teflon
A carcinogen and toxicant
Synthetic compound
Molar Mass
g/mol
Typical amount found in cookware
4.3 ppb
Teflon
Chemically known as
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Synthetic fluorocarbon polymer
Degrades around 260°C

3. Background
PFOA is a surfactant used to attach PTFE into cookware making it non-stick.
PFOA is removed when cookware is cured, but residual amounts can remain
If the cookware is scratched or heated to high temperatures during cooking, the residual levels can be released into the air or the food being prepared.

4. Hypothesis
By using proper analytical techniques the residual PFOA that is released when Teflon coated cookware is heated to high temperatures can be measured.

5. Techniques Considered
Advantages
Disadvantages IR
PFC’s are easily differentiated between
Fast
Matrix and Solvents must be essentially non-existent
Reverse Phase HPLC
Good Selectivity
Easily reproducible
PFC’s all have different retention times
Costly
Time consuming
Requires large amounts of solvents
Suppressed Conductivity Detection
Good Sensitivity
Inexpensive
Newer technique without much data available
Must use HPLC and not GC

6. Method of Choice: GC-MS
Standards: PFOA from Sigma-Aldrich Order Number:171468
PFTE from Sigma-Aldrich Order Number:430935
Figure 1: Retrieved from

7. Agilent 7000 GC/MS High Selectivity
Fast Analysis (500 transitions per second)
Fluorinated compounds have different retention times
Figure 2: Retrieved from Agilent Technologies. (2009). Agilent 7000B Triple Quadrupole GC/MS. [Brochure].

8. Agilent 7000 ESI-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer
Signal to Noise Ratio of 500:1 for 100 femtograms
LOD- femtogram level
Operates at temperatures as high as 200°C
High selectivity
Figure 3: Retrieved from Agilent Technologies. (2009). Agilent 7000B Triple Quadrupole GC/MS. [Brochure].

9. Sample Prep
Empty Teflon coated cookware is heated up to varying temperatures
Specifically around °C
Smoke point of oils and where Teflon degrades
PFTE (Teflon) must be scraped off of cookware and made into a powder
Internal standards of PFOA and PFTE are added

10. Expected Results
Potentially harmful levels of PFOA will be found in Teflon coated cookware upon heating to high temperature
Figure 4: Typical Quadrupole Mass Spectrum for PFOA
Retrieved from Begley, T. "Perfluorochemicals: Potential sources of and migration from food packaging.”

11. Conclusion
To determine the safety of Teflon coated cookware GC/MS analysis can be used to measure the levels of residual perfluorooctanoic acid which are harmful to humans.

12. References
Begley, T. "Perfluorochemicals: Potential sources of and migration from food packaging." Food additives and contaminants (2005):1023.Guo, Zhishi, and X. Liu, and K. Krebs, “Perfluorocarboxylic Acid Content in 116 Articles of Commerce.” National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, 2009.
Huang, Ke, and KHuang. "Determination of trace PFOA in textiles with HPLC-UV spectrometry." 印染 37.9 (2011):37.
Kadar, H. "Comparative study of low- versus high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric strategies for measuring perfluorinated contaminants in fish." Food additives & contaminants. Part A. Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment 28.9 (2011):1261.
King, Anthony. "Sticking point", Chemistry and Industry. 2007, 17, 24-25
Lindstrom, Andrew, and A B BLindstrom. "Polyfluorinated Compounds: Past, Present, and Future." Environmental science & technology (2011):7954.
Lv, Gang, GLV, andLv. "Determination of perfluorinated compounds in packaging materials and textiles using pressurized liquid extraction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry." Analytical Sciences 25.3 (2009):425.
Skoog, Douglas A., F. James. Holler, and Stanley R. Crouch. Principles of Instrumental Analysis. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2007.
Tracy, M., Liu, X., and Pohl, C. “Analysis of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoate in Water Samples Using Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography with Suppressed Coonductivity Detection.” Dionex Corporation
Agilent Technologies. (2009). Agilent 7000B Triple Quadrupole GC/MS. [Brochure].