title: First report of a Chinese PFOS alternative overlooked for 30 years: its toxicity, persistence, and presence in the environment.
abstract: This is the first report on the environmental occurrence of a chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (locally called F-53B, C8ClF16O4SK). It has been widely applied as a mist suppressant by the chrome plating industry in China for decades but has evaded the attention of environmental research and regulation. In this study, F-53B was found in high concentrations (43-78 and 65-112 μg/L for the effluent and influent, respectively) in wastewater from the chrome plating industry in the city of Wenzhou, China. F-53B was not successfully removed by the wastewater treatments in place. Consequently, it was detected in surface water that receives the treated wastewater at similar levels to PFOS (ca. 10-50 ng/L) and the concentration decreased with the increasing distance from the wastewater discharge point along the river. Initial data presented here suggest that F-53B is moderately toxic (Zebrafish LC50-96 h 15.5 mg/L) and is as resistant to degradation as PFOS. While current usage is limited to the chrome plating industry, the increasing demand for PFOS alternatives in other sectors may result in expanded usage. Collectively, the results of this work call for future assessments on the effects of this overlooked contaminant and its presence and fate in the environment.
authors: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKJLESPC), School of Environment, POPs Research Centre, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, P.R. China.
authors: Siwen
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Yang
authors: Yamei
authors: Y
authors: Hui
authors: Yuxi
authors: Y
authors: Ge
authors: Thorjørn
authors: T
authors: Larssen
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Yu
authors: Shubo
authors: S
authors: Deng
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Wang
authors: Christopher
authors: C
authors: Harman
mesh_terms: D000476:Alkanesulfonates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002681:China; D004595:Electroplating; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D000476:Alkanesulfonates; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C588014:2-((6-chloro-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6-dodecafluorohexyl)oxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid