Using Silicone Wristbands as Personal Monitors of PFAS Exposures

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remains an ongoing public health challenge with significant gaps in understanding non-dietary exposure pathways, without a notable commercial product available for personalized testing. Silicone wristbands (SWBs) are promising passive samplers capable of addressing these gaps due to their unique properties that facilitate broad-spectrum chemical uptake. Following initial success in Phase I with traditional PFAS compounds using solvent-based extraction, this Phase II study proposes novel solvent-free extraction methods—thermal desorption (TD) and/or purge-and-trap (P&T)—coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These approaches, not yet applied to PFAS in silicone wristbands, aim to significantly reduce extraction time, costs, and contamination risks inherent in conventional methods. The proposed research expands the spectrum of detectable PFAS by including less-studied volatile and semi-volatile compounds that might be relevant to non-dietary pathways of atmospheric or dermal exposure. Controlled laboratory exposures and analysis of real-world archived wristbands will validate method efficiency, recovery rates, and practical application. Successful implementation of these innovative solventless techniques will deliver a scalable, cost-effective tool for comprehensive personal exposure monitoring, supporting both research and consumer markets by providing timely and accurate assessments of individual PFAS exposure.