Dr. Yanyan Zhang was invited to deliver a speech about Defluorination mechanisms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs): Reaction pathways and structural dependence at the International Symposium on Pollution Control of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Tianjin, China.

Symposium introduction

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent organic pollutants that have recently emerged as a global concern. With over 9000 registered and 4000 industrially produced members, PFAS are a large family of compounds. The two most common homologues, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been banned globally and are listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Recently, the production of these compounds has shifted to shorter chain analogues and compounds containing ether and double-bond structures. As a result, PFAS analogue profiles in the environment are changing, and traditional analytical methods based on limited known standards cannot effectively monitor PFAS pollution. Nontarget analysis based on high-resolution mass spectrometry has revealed an increasing number of emerging PFAS analogues. On the other hand, criteria for PFAS, have become increasingly stringent. This has put enormous pressure on PFAS pollution control and international compliance. Therefore, the purpose of this symposium is to bring together top experts in the field of PFAS pollution control from around the world to discuss the development direction of PFAS, approaches for identifying environmental risks, technical bottlenecks in pollution control, and to improve the international influence of the environmental discipline.