Perfluoroalkyl Acids in the Atlantic and Canadian Arctic Oceans

Abstract

We report here on the spatial distribution of C(4), C(6), and C(8) perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, C(6)-C(14) perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, and perfluorooctanesulfonamide in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, including previously unstudied coastal waters of North and South America, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) were typically the dominant perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in Atlantic water. In the midnorthwest Atlantic/Gulf Stream, sum PFAA concentrations (∑PFAAs) were low (77-190 pg/L) but increased rapidly upon crossing into U.S. coastal water (up to 5800 pg/L near Rhode Island). ∑PFAAs in the northeast Atlantic were highest north of the Canary Islands (280-980 pg/L) and decreased with latitude. In the South Atlantic, concentrations increased near Rio de la Plata (Argentina/Uruguay; 350-540 pg/L ∑PFAAs), possibly attributable to insecticides containing N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide, or proximity to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In all other southern hemisphere locations, ∑PFAAs were <210 pg/L. PFOA/PFOS ratios were typically ≥1 in the northern hemisphere, ∼1 near the equator, and ≤1 in the southern hemisphere. In the Canadian Arctic, ∑PFAAs ranged from 40 to 250 pg/L, with perfluoroheptanoate, PFOA, and PFOS among the PFAAs detected at the highest concentrations. PFOA/PFOS ratios (typically ≫1) decreased from Baffin Bay to the Amundsen Gulf, possibly attributable to increased atmospheric inputs. These data help validate global emissions models and contribute to understanding of long-range transport pathways and sources of PFAAs to remote regions.

Occurrence and fate of perfluoroalkyl substances in marine sediments from the Chinese Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea

“…The weaker dependence of PFASs on TOC compared with pH suggests that the hydrophobicity is less influential than ionization in affecting PFASs sorption. Dependence on the latitude and longitude of the locations has also been identified between Germany and South Africa in the marine atmosphere (Jahnke et al, 2007), and in the seawater from Atlantic Ocean and the Canadian Arctic Ocean (Benskin et al, 2012). In this work, the dry weight based PFOA concentration was found to decrease with the latitude (p < 0.01) and longitude (p ¼ 0.04) in the BS, while in the entire coverage of study area, PFOA decreased with longitude but increased with latitude.…”

What is the effect of phasing out long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on the concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids and their precursors in the environment? A systematic review

“…PFOS and other PFSAs are widely distributed in the global environment [34][35][36][37][38], biota [39][40][41][42][43][44] and humans [15,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. Due to the dominance of POSF-based products historically, PFOS is usually the most abundant PFSA found.…”

Spatial distribution and fate of perfluoroalkyl substances in sediments from the Pearl River Estuary, South China

“…Because of their persistence in the environment (Lindstrom et al, 2011), global distribution including the Arctic (Benskin et al, 2012), bioaccumulation in organisms (Naile et al, 2013), and potential toxicity (Vieira et al, 2013), PFASs have received growing concern worldwide. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) have been listed in Annex B of the Stockholm Convention as new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in (UNEP, 2009.…”