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8:2 FTS

8:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid

3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluorodecane-1-sulfonic acid

Also known as 8:2 FTS8:2 FTSA
3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-Heptadecafluorodecanesulphonic acid1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid254-295-83,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluorodecane-1-sulfonic acid8:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecanesulphonic acid8:2 FTSA8:2 FTS

A long-chain fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (8 perfluorinated + 2 alkyl carbons) used in legacy stain-resistant coatings and fluoropolymer manufacturing. Detected in 13 U.S. utilities serving ~2.5 million people under UCMR 5.

Group
PFAS
Regulatory status
UCMR
Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule
Top removal tech
Activated carbon

Primary concern: Immune and liver toxicity

Affected organ systems

Liver Immune Developmental Endocrine Affecting the body's hormone system — thyroid, adrenal, reproductive, or metabolic hormones. Thyroid

Health effects

Immunotoxin Suppresses or alters the immune system. Can increase risk of infection or reduce vaccine effectiveness. Endocrine disruptor Mimics or blocks the body's hormones (estrogen, thyroid, testosterone). Can affect development, reproduction, and metabolism at very low doses. Developmental toxin Causes harm during development before birth or in early childhood — birth defects, low birth weight, delayed growth, or learning problems later in life. Hepatotoxin Damages the liver. Effects range from elevated liver enzymes on a blood test to fatty liver disease and, with prolonged exposure, liver cancer.

Exposure routes

Drinking water Dietary Occupational In utero

Vulnerable populations

Pregnant Infants Children

Overview

8:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS or 8:2 FTSA) is a long-chain fluorotelomer sulfonic acid consisting of a perfluorinated eight-carbon tail (C8F17) bonded to a two-carbon CH2CH2- spacer terminating in a sulfonic acid head group. It belongs to the same fluorotelomer sulfonate family as 4:2 and 6:2 FTS but carries the longest perfluorinated chain in the FTS series monitored under UCMR 5. Historically, 8:2 fluorotelomer chemistry was used in stain-resistant coatings on textiles, paper, and carpet, and as a raw material in fluoropolymer manufacturing. Production has declined significantly in North America following the 2010-2015 PFOA Stewardship Program, but environmental residues persist and continue to surface in drinking water.

Pollution sources

Military AFFF Aqueous Film-Forming Foam — firefighting foam used at military bases and airports for fuel fires. The leading source of PFAS contamination in groundwater near former training sites. Industry Manufacturing Consumer products

Sources

8:2 FTS enters drinking water through industrial discharges from facilities that historically manufactured or used long-chain fluorotelomer chemistry, runoff from sites where fluorotelomer-based aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) was used, atmospheric deposition of fluorotelomer alcohol (8:2 FTOH) that oxidizes to 8:2 FTS in surface water, and leachate from landfills containing legacy stain-resistant consumer goods. UCMR 5 detections concentrate in Florida and Pennsylvania, with the highest concentrations near a Pennsylvania source in the Lehigh Valley. Long-chain fluorotelomers like 8:2 FTS are particularly concerning because they can biodegrade in the environment and human body into PFOA — a confirmed IARC Group 1 carcinogen — creating a continuing exposure pathway long after primary use ceases.

Health risks

Toxicological data on 8:2 FTS itself is more limited than for its degradation product PFOA. The parent compound has not been formally classified as a carcinogen, but it shares the persistence, bioaccumulation, and mobility hallmarks of long-chain PFAS. Animal studies have linked 8:2 fluorotelomer chemistry to hepatotoxicity, thyroid hormone disruption, and developmental effects. The most significant health concern is metabolic conversion: 8:2 FTS and the related 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol can both biotransform into PFOA in mammalian tissue, effectively functioning as a PFOA precursor in human serum. 8:2 FTS is monitored under UCMR 5 but is not currently subject to a federal MCL.

Effective treatments

Activated carbon Granular or block carbon that traps organic contaminants as water flows through. The most common point-of-use filter media — handles chlorine taste, VOCs, pesticides, and many PFAS. Reverse osmosis A semipermeable membrane that pushes water through under pressure, leaving most dissolved contaminants behind. Removes a very broad range — PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrate, salts — at the cost of slower flow and some wastewater. Ion exchange Resin beads that swap unwanted ions (lead, calcium, certain PFAS, perchlorate) for harmless ones like sodium. Common in water softeners and PFAS treatment columns.

Does not remove

UV Ultraviolet light that disrupts the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa as water flows past the lamp. Disinfects but doesn't remove chemicals or particles. Chlorination Adds chlorine or hypochlorite to kill bacteria and viruses. The most common disinfection method in US water systems; leaves a residual that keeps water protected through the distribution pipes. Boil Kills bacteria, viruses, and protozoa after a one-minute rolling boil. Does NOT remove chemicals like lead, nitrate, or PFAS — boiling actually concentrates them as water evaporates.

NSF certifications

NSF/ANSI 53 Health-related contaminants NSF/ANSI 58 Reverse osmosis systems

Water treatment

8:2 FTS is removed effectively by granular activated carbon (GAC), anion exchange resin, and high-pressure membranes including reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. As a long-chain fluorotelomer, it adsorbs more strongly to GAC than short-chain FTS analogues like 4:2 and 6:2 FTS, giving longer column run times before breakthrough. Conventional treatment processes — coagulation, sand filtration, disinfection, UV, and ozonation — do not remove 8:2 FTS. Boiling concentrates rather than removes it. NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF P473 certify point-of-use filters for PFAS reduction; NSF/ANSI 58 covers RO systems.

Gallery

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Chemistry + classification data sourced from public databases (PubChem, EPA CompTox, IARC monographs); 3D molecular models from 3d.nih.gov where available.