Distribution and Bioaccumulation of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Xiamen Coastal Waters

Abstract

Since perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAs) are widely used and harmless to organisms, they have attracted great attention in recent years. e distribution of PFAs in the oceans all around the world is well documented. However, the study of PFAs in Xiamen could be a beneficial complement, for its unique geologies of no rivers that originate from other cities to influence the concentration of PFAs in this area. In this paper, six PFAs were analyzed in water, sediments, and organisms from both freshwater and seawater and the bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were calculated with the quantity of PFAs in different trophic levels of aquatic organisms. e results showed that the ΣPFA concentrations ranged from 7.66 to 11.98 ng·L − 1 for seawater samples and from 2.12 to 8.61 ng·L − 1 for freshwater. e concentration of ΣPFAs in sediments was 7.43-12.89 ng·g − 1 and 4.53-5.80 ng·g − 1 in seawater and freshwater, respectively. e PFA concentration in water is highly positive correlated with the PFA concentration in sediments (R 2 � 0.85). e calculated bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) were 6412-14254 L·kg − 1 and 2927-7959 L·kg − 1 for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS), respectively. PFOA seems more bioaccumulative than PFOS in seawater. e results illustrated the PFA pollution in the Xiamen sea area, and it is useful for the protection and control of the organic pollutants in this area.

Bioaccumulation, Biodistribution, Toxicology and Biomonitoring of Organofluorine Compounds in Aquatic Organisms

“…In one of these studies conducted in the Xiamen Sea area, the calculated BFC for kelp algae (Thallus laminariae) had a range of 2900-4600 L/kg for PFOS and 6700-14,300 L/kg for PFOA. For the latter, the calculated BCF was higher than that of the fauna investigated [78]. Conversely, lower BFC values (approximately 1000 L/kg) were found in the benthic algae of Michigan rivers (United States) [79].…”

“…A value of BFC ranging between 8160-9680 L/kg for PFOA and 6430-7960 L/kg for PFOS was recorded in Grass carp muscle from the Xiamen freshwater area [78]. On the other hand, in saltwater, soft tissues of Ocypode stimpsoni showed a BCF of 6490-7440 L/kg for PFOA and 3270-4240 L/kg for PFOS, while in soft tissues of Ostrea gigas BCF ranged between 6410-9680 (PFOA) and 4180-6430 L/kg (PFOS) [78]. In Jiaozhou Bay (China) soft tissues of saltwater clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) showed log 10 BAF between 2.53-4.32 for all 19 types of PFAS detected with values positively correlated with carbon chain length (C 8 -C 13 ) [83].…”

“…One of these was conducted in Michigan rivers and showed that the benthic algae had concentrations of PFOS, FOSA, PFOA, and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHS) of: 2.6-3.1, <1, <0.2, and <2 ng/g, respectively [79]. Conversely, in the Xiamen Sea area, investigations on Kelp algae (Thallus laminariae) showed concentrations of 1.64-4.36 ng/g for PFOA and 1.42-3.58 for PFOS while the total PFAS concentration levels, [PFAS] TOT , ranged between 8.15 and 12.98 ng/g [78]. Finally, in the floating plants Ceratophyllum demersum L., Hydrocharis dubia (Bl.)…”

“…In the Xiamen Sea area, the BCFs calculated with the quantity of PFAAs in different trophic levels of aquatic animals ranged from 6400-9700 L/kg to 3300-8000 L/kg for PFOA and PFOS, respectively [78].…”

“…For instance, a study on molluscs from the semi-closed basin of the Bohai (China) and investigating the presence of 23 PFCs, showed differences between aquaculture sites and more restricted areas with PFOA being the more abundant component (87% of the total PFAS) showing a very high frequency of detection (i.e., percentage of samples where PFOA has been detected) of 98%, followed by PFNA, perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (PFDS) and PFOS [95]. Indeed, the most frequently detected PFCs in various tissues of aquatic organisms are long-chain PFAS such as PFOS [56,58,115,[117][118][119] and PFOA [78,83,95]. This frequency is particularly important when referred to organisms that are directly consumed by humans or by endangered species.…”