Spatial Distribution of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Surface Sediments of Five Major Rivers in China.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have received great attention from the public and scientific community due to their potential adverse impacts on the ecosystem and human health. We investigated the occurrence and distribution of 16 PFASs from 2 classes of PFASs-perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids-in the archived surface sediments of five major rivers (Yellow River, Hai River, Liao River, Zhujiang River, and Dongjiang River) in northern and southern China. The study was also performed during the wet and dry seasons. Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid were the most frequently detected (detection frequency = 100 and 63 %, respectively) in the sediments of the five rivers; the concentrations ranged from 0.08 to 0.99 ng/g dry weight (dw) and were lower than the limit of detection (