2026-10-13T08:29:47Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33952460 2026-09-21T12:19:15Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_272 category_873 category_45 category_734 portal_63 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Validation of a Rapid Screening Method for Textile Additives with Applications to Firefighter Station Wear Alyssa Wicks (20446533) Anthony M. Miller (25083449) Sayaka Takaku-Pugh (25083452) Ruihong Xiao (25083455) Jason D. Boettger (7854194) James M. McCord (25083458) June-Soo Park (1414483) Graham F. Peaslee (3341753) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified previously received attention uniforms worn daily oes ), ultrahigh rapid screening method textiles using pixe screening textiles wear uniforms screened using paired method turnout gear textile additives results demonstrate ray emission quantifying elements polyfluoroalkyl substances occupational exposure numerous chemicals induced x induced gamma forming foam flame retardants first instance fire events estimate concentrations concerning presence aqueous film 31 per 21 elements Firefighters have previously received attention for their occupational exposure to numerous chemicals of concern through their turnout gear, aqueous film-forming foam, and fire events. However, their station wear, uniforms worn daily in the station, has not yet been investigated for textile additives of concern. In this study, 57 firefighter station wear uniforms were screened using the paired method of particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) spectroscopies to estimate concentrations of 21 elements between F and Pb. As this is the first instance of quantifying elements in textiles using PIXE, validation of PIXE results was conducted using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS), and gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). These analyses detected elevated concentrations of Cl, Zn, Cr, and/or Sb in numerous station-wear samples. Additionally, targeted liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for 31 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was performed on a subset of samples. Together, these results demonstrate the effectiveness of PIGE/PIXE for screening textiles and highlight the concerning presence of PFAS, flame retardants, and halogenated azobenzene disperse dyes in some station-wear uniforms. 2026-09-21T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.1021/acs.est.6c06909.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Validation_of_a_Rapid_Screening_Method_for_Textile_Additives_with_Applications_to_Firefighter_Station_Wear/33952460 CC BY-NC 4.0