Perfluorinated compounds in water and sediment from coastal regions of the northern Bohai Sea, China

Abstract

Concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in water and sediment from coastal Bohai Bay and surrounding rivers flowing into the bay. Of the 15 PFCs measured, PFOS and PFOA were detected with the greatest frequency. Concentrations in water ranged from<0.2 to 31 ng·L⁻¹ and<1.0 to 82 ng·L⁻¹ for PFOS and PFOA, respectively. Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in sediments ranged from<0.1 to 2.0 ng·g⁻¹ dw and<0.1 to 0.5 ng·g⁻¹ dw, respectively. Concentrations of PFCs in Bohai Bay were less than those observed in other areas in Asia, but greater concentrations of ∑PFCs were observed in the Dalin River with concentrations increasing from upstream to downstream, and the greatest concentrations in sediment were observed in tidal flats. The ratio of ∑PFCs in sediment and water indicated that sediment could serve as a significant sink for PFUnA.

Keywords:

• perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
• perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
• marine and fresh water environment
• river
• source

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China with Grant No. 41071355, the National Basic Research Program of China (‘973‘ Research Program) with Grant No. 2007CB407307, the External Cooperation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with Grant No. GJHZ0948, and the State Key Laboratory Project with Grant No. SKLURE2008-1-4. Portions of the research were supported by a Discovery Grant from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Project Nos. 326415-07) and a grant from the Western Economic Diversification Canada (Project Nos. 6971 and 6807). Prof. Giesys’ participation in the project was supported by the Einstein Professorship Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.