title: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in sediments from rivers of the Pearl River Delta, southern China.
abstract: Having been largely used in industrial and household products, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) appear in environmental and biological systems with prevalence and persistence and have raised great concern in recent years. The present study is aimed at studying concentrations and composition profiles of 16 PFAAs in surface sediments collected from 51 sampling locations in 4 main rivers of the Pearl River Delta, one of the economy-developed areas in China. The total PFAA concentrations (∑ PFAAs) were determined in a wide range of 1.89-15.1 ng g-1dw (dry weight) with an average concentration to be 3.54 ng g-1dw. Higher ∑ PFAAs were observed in the downstream of Dongjiang River and the Pearl River, possibly due to the discharge of industrial wastewater. Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the dominant PFAAs, accounting for 51 to 85% of ∑ PFAAs in 27% of the samples. High PFPeA concentrations in sediments of urban river were scarcely observed in previous studies worldwide. The sources of short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were significantly different from those of other PFAAs. Preliminary hazard assessment proved negligible for PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), PFPeA, and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) concentrations in sediments from rivers of the Pearl River Delta.
authors.affiliation: College of Physical Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.|College of Chemistry, Changchun Normal University, Changchun, 130032, China.
authors.forename: Baolin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Physical Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. zhangh@szu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
authors.forename: Juying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Urban and Environmental Science, Changchun Normal University, Changchun, 130032, China.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: College of Physical Science and Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
authors.forename: Liuwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D002208:Caproates / Q000032:analysis*; D002210:Caprylates / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002208:Caproates; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; C479228:perfluorohexanoic acid
keywords: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs); Risk quotients; Sediment levels; The Pearl River Delta (PRD)