Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Surface Water of Hefei City, Southeast China.

In this work, the spatial distribution, potential sources, and risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were investigated at 22 surface water sampling sites in Hefei City. The study encompassed 11 distinct types of PFASs, which included 7 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs). The findings indicated that the overall concentration of PFASs varied between 12.96 to 545.50 ng/L, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) being the most prevalent, contributing to an average of 71% of the total PFASs concentration. Principal component analysis (PCA) elucidated the primary sources of PFASs, which included industrial emissions, fluoropolymer production and treatment, textile processing, and the impact of the electroplating industry. Employing the risk quotient (RQ) method facilitated the assessment of ecological risks associated with PFASs in surface water within the study area, suggesting that the current concentrations of PFASs in Hefei's surface water pose a relatively low ecological risk. However, the long-term ecological effects of PFASs cannot be overlooked due to their potential for long-range transport and the cumulative nature of biological food chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Water (20734441) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)