Distribution and Exposure Risk Assessment of Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances in Aquatic Products along the Coastal Region of the South China Sea

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to monitor the contamination characters and spatial and temporal distributions of 23 Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in seafood. Total of 844 samples, including 391 shellfish and 94 crustaceans, were collected from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces along South China Coastal Regions and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. Finally, 16 PFASs were detected in the survived samples and the total detection rates reached to 99.2%. The highest concentration of ∑PFASs in each sample was 28.3 μg/kg, and the average and medium values of ∑PFAS were 1.83 μg/kg and 1.18 μg/kg, respectively. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA) have been considered as predominant PFAS components with the corresponding pollution contribution rates of 29.1% and 24.7%, respectively. However, it is noted that perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFNA) and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) were primarily enriched in the oyster and mussel. During the period of this investigation (2014–2016), ∑PFAS average concentrations turned out constantly rising trend and new pollution component perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) detected in 2016, indicating that the contamination status of PFASs was getting worse in South China Coastal Regions. ∑PFAS concentrations of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces were approximately at similar level (1.79 μg/kg, 1.91 μg/kg and 2.02 μg/kg), and the highest concentration sample contaminated with PFNA appeared in Guangxi province. The average and medium concentrations of ∑PFAS in samples collected from Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Sanya were the top three. Safety and risk exposure assessments of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and PFOS via daily diet intakes showed relatively low potential to local residents.