Distribution and primary source analysis of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances with different chain lengths in surface and groundwater in two cities, North China

Yiming Yao; Hongkai Zhu; Bing Li; Hongwei Hu; Tao Zhang; Eriko Yamazaki; Sachi Taniyasu; Nobuyoshi Yamashita; Hongwen Sun

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.07.021

Distribution and primary source analysis of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances with different chain lengths in surface and groundwater in two cities, North China

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2014 Oct:108:318-28. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.07.021. Epub 2014 Aug 8.

Authors

Yiming Yao¹, Hongkai Zhu¹, Bing Li¹, Hongwei Hu¹, Tao Zhang¹, Eriko Yamazaki², Sachi Taniyasu², Nobuyoshi Yamashita², Hongwen Sun³

Affiliations

¹ MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
² National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan.
³ MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China. Electronic address: sunhongwen@nankai.edu.cn.

PMID: 25108512
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.07.021

Abstract

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been widely detected in the hydrosphere. The knowledge on the distribution and composition patterns of PFAS analogues with different chain length significantly contribute to their source analysis. In the present study, a regional scale investigation of PFASs in surface river waters and adjacent ground waters was carried out in two cities of China with potential contamination, Tianjin and Weifang. A total of 31 water samples were collected, and 20 PFASs therein were measured by a high-performance liquid chromatograph-tandem mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS). The possible sources of PFASs in the aquatic environment were assessed primarily by concentration patterns as well as hierarchical cluster analysis. In all 4 rivers investigated in the two cities, perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were the dominant compounds contributing over 70% of the PFASs detected. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominant PFCA with a concentration range of 8.58-20.3ng/L in Tianjin and 6.37-25.9ng/L in Weifang, respectively. On the average, the highest concentration was observed in samples from Dagu Drainage Canal (Dagu) in Tianjin and those short-chain PFASs (C4-C6) was detected with a comparable level of the longer-chain PFASs (>C6). Specifically, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was dominant in the short-chain analogues. This indicates that a remarkably increasing input of short-chain PFASs might be related to wastewater treatment plant effluent or industrial discharges, which could be possibly due to the switch of manufacturing to short-chain products. In Weifang, precipitation and subsequent surface runoff as non-point sources could be significant inputs of PFASs into surface water while groundwater was possibly subjected to severe point sources with ∑PFASs concentration up to ~100ng/L. The inconsistent distribution patterns in groundwater suggest complicated pathways of contamination.

Keywords: Distribution; Groundwater; Perfluoroalkyl substances; Precipitation; River water; Source analysis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Caprylates / analysis*
China
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
Cities
Fluorocarbons / analysis*
Groundwater / chemistry*
Rivers / chemistry*
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Caprylates
Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical
perfluorobutyric acid
perfluorooctanoic acid