Short- and long-chain perfluoroalkyl substances in the water, suspended particulate matter, and surface sediment of a turbid river

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted attentions all around the world. However, little is known about their distribution among water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment phases in rivers, especially for the short-chain PFASs. In this work, the Yellow River, the largest turbid river in the world, was selected as a case to study eleven kinds of PFASs in the three phases of rivers. These PFASs included C4-C12 perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs), perfluorobutyl sulfonate (PFBS), and perfluorooctansulfonate (PFOS), among which C4-C7 PFCAs and PFBS belong to short-chain PFASs, while C8-C12 PFCAs and PFOS belong to long-chain PFASs. The results showed that the total PFAS concentration ranged from 44.7ngL(-1) to 1.52μgL(-1) in the water, from 8.19 to 17.4ngg(-1) in the sediment, and from 3.44 to 14.7ngg(-1) in the SPM. Short-chain PFASs predominated in the water and could reach up to 88.8% of the total PFAS concentration in water, while long-chain PFASs prevailed in the sediment and SPM. The PFAS concentration in SPM showed a significant negative correlation with SPM concentration in river water (p<0.01). The distribution coefficients (Kd) of PFASs between sediment/SPM and water increased with their chain length and there was a positive correlation between logKd and logKow (octanol-water partition coefficients). The total annual flux of all the eleven PFASs was estimated at 3.88tons for the Yellow River into the Bohai Sea, among which the PFOA flux was the highest (0.90tons). The widely occurrence and high concentrations of short-chain PFASs in the Yellow River indicates the shift of manufacturing focus of perfluoroalkyl chemicals from traditional long-chain ones to short-chain ones. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the eco-environmental risks of these short-chain PFASs in water environments.

Distribution and Bioaccumulation of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Xiamen Coastal Waters

“…Many researchers have investigated the pollution of PFCs in major rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other environments in China and obtained relatively comprehensive pollution situation of PFCs in freshwater environment [13][14][15][16]. Studies on PFAs pollution in marine environment of China mainly include the reports on PFA pollution in sediments in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea [17].…”

Online Solid-Phase Extraction LC-MS/MS: A Rapid and Valid Method for the Determination of Perfluorinated Compounds at Sub ng·L−1 Level in Natural Water

“…Unfortunately, due to several challenges such as matrix effects and cross-contamination, classic analytical techniques cannot detect PFAs at levels below 10 ng•L −1 , especially for PFOS and PFAs at long chain [23,24]. For this reason, it is necessary to develop and validate an analytical procedure capable of improving detection limits for all PFAs.…”

Estudio piloto de la toxicidad de los sedimentos del río Pasto en el tramo La Playita-Puente La Carolina, asociada al uso de pesticidas

“…Al respecto, se puede inferir que posiblemente los niveles de toxicidad estén relacionados con material orgánico (no únicamente pesticidas) transportado como sólidos suspendidos, que pueden ingresar a la corriente como material particulado y por erosión de la cuenca, más que por transferencia entre las matrices agua/sedimentos, como lo sugiere la literatura científica, aunque esto no puede ser concluyente [47], [55], [56].…”