Increasing perfluoroalkyl substances and ecological process from the Yongding Watershed to the Guanting Reservoir in the Olympic host cities, China

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised great attention, particularly in regions of rapid urbanization. Zhangjiakou and Beijing will jointly host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, which will likely increase local PFASs pollution and their associated risks over the coming period. In this study, we identified ecological process of PFASs, including sources, environmental fate, and risks, from the Yongding Watershed to the Guanting Reservoir. The concentrations of total 12 PFASs in water of the Guanting Reservoir were higher than that from the Yongding Watershed, with mean of 48.9 and 33.7 ng/L, respectively. The concentrations of PFASs in sediment of the Yongding Watershed and the Guanting Reservoir were similar, with mean of 1.01 and 0.827 ng/g dry weight, respectively. Detected levels of PFASs in the Guanting Reservoir significantly increased during the past eight years, possibly due to an improving economy and a rapidly developed service industry. Moderate PFASs levels in fish of the Guanting Reservoir were detected relative to other lakes and reservoirs. The daily intake of PFASs via fish and water ranged from 4.96 to 15.0 ng/kg bw/day, with higher levels found in children relative to adults. In total, approximately 9.06 kg of PFASs from riverine flow and atmospheric deposition annually entered the Guanting Reservoir. PFASs from the Yongding River significantly contributed to the pollution of Guanting Reservoir, with predominance of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) in water, and long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in sediment in both the Yongding Watershed and the Guanting Reservoir. Most of the PFASs (23.5 kg) were stored in water of the Guanting Reservoir, while the annual storage of PFASs in sediment and fish was only 4.68 × 10−2 kg and 4.36 × 10−2 kg via deposition and accumulation, respectively. The results suggest that water quality management of the Yongding Watershed is necessary for effective control on PFASs pollution in the Guanting Reservoir.