Investigating the sources of perfluorobutanesulfonic acid in a watershed of the Chugoku region in Japan

A case study of organic micropollutants in a major Swedish water source – Removal efficiency in seven drinking water treatment plants and influence of operational age of granulated active carbon filters

Inhibitory effects of biofilms on the adsorption of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances by biological activated carbon in practical drinking water treatment plants.

Chemical Toxicity of Per- and Poly- Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS)

Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) cycling within Michigan: Contaminated sites, landfills and wastewater treatment plants

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the Scheldt Estuary: Insights from target, suspect and non-target screening of water, sediment and bivalves.

BackgroundPer- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have received increasing scientific and political attention in recent years. Several thousand commercially produced compounds are used in numerous products and technical processes. Due to their extreme persistence in the environment, humans and all other life forms are, therefore, increasingly exposed to these substances. In the following review, PFAS will be examined comprehensively.ResultsThe best studied PFAS are carboxylic and sulfonic acids with chain lengths of C4 to C14, particularly perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). These substances are harmful to aquatic fauna, insects, and amphibians at concentrations of a few µg/L or less, accumulate in organisms, and biomagnify in food webs. Humans, as the final link in numerous food chains, are subjected to PFAS uptake primarily through food and drinking water. Several PFAS have multiple toxic effects, particularly affecting liver, kidney, thyroid, and the immune system. The latter effect is the basis for the establishment of a tolerable weekly dose of only 4.4 ng/kg body weight for the sum of the four representatives PFOA, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020. Exposure estimates and human biomonitoring show that this value is frequently reached, and in many cases exceeded. PFAS are a major challenge for analysis, especially of products and waste: single-substance analyses capture only a fragment of the large, diverse family of PFAS. As a consequence, sum parameters have gained increasing importance. The high mobility of per and polyfluorinated carboxylic and sulfonic acids makes soil and groundwater pollution at contaminated sites a problem. In general, short-chain PFAS are more mobile than long-chain ones. Processes for soil and groundwater purification and drinking water treatment are often ineffective and expensive. Recycling of PFAS-containing products such as paper and food packaging leads to carryover of the contaminants. Incineration requires high temperatures to completely destroy PFAS. After PFOA, PFOS and a few other perfluorinated carboxylic and sulfonic acids were regulated internationally, many manufacturers and users switched to other PFAS: short-chain representatives, per- and polyfluorinated oxo carboxylic acids, telomeric alcohols and acids. Analytical studies show an increase in environmental concentrations of these chemicals. Ultra-short PFAS (chain length C1–C3) have not been well studied. Among others, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is present globally in rapidly increasing concentrations.ConclusionsThe substitution of individual PFAS recognized as hazardous by other possibly equally hazardous PFAS with virtually unknown chronic toxicity can, therefore, not be a solution. The only answer is a switch to fluorine-free alternatives for all applications in which PFAS are not essential.

Per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are substances of very high concern. Because of their persistence and their ubiquitous presence in the environment they are called forever chemicals. Some substances of the large group of PFAS are bioaccumulating and toxic, other substances are very mobile in soil and reach groundwater easily. Humans take up PFAS mainly via food including drinking water, which is often produced from groundwater. Thresholds for PFAS in drinking water are so low that environmental concentrations are often already above those levels. Thus, strategies to deal with PFAS in soil and groundwater are urgently needed. The number of (suspected) sites contaminated with PFAS is rising. The reason is that the awareness about PFAS is increasing and thus more areas are being investigated. However, clean-up and remediation of contaminated sites is costly and difficult, if possible at all. Until the implementation of legally binding values for PFAS in soil and groundwater and their verified derivation. a German guideline for PFAS assessment currently provides available media-related assessment bases and criteria. This paper covers the current state of knowledge on PFAS and suggests solutions for dealing with PFAS contaminated soils and groundwater.

Diversity and antibiotic resistance of Aeromonas spp. in drinking and waste water treatment plants

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in Pennsylvania surface waters: A statewide assessment, associated sources, and land-use relations

PFAS screening in municipal wastewater effluents and mixed liquor - using TOP assay as a sum parameter.

As health-based drinking water standards for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) continue to evolve, public health and environmental protection decision-makers must assess exposure risks associated with all public drinking water systems in the United States (US). Unfortunately, current knowledge regarding the presence of PFAS in environmental systems is limited. In this study, a screening approach was established to: (1) identify and direct attention toward potential PFAS hot spots in drinking water sources, (2) prioritize sampling locations, and (3) provide insights regarding the potential PFAS sources that contaminate groundwater and surface water. Our approach incorporates geospatial data from public sources, including the US Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory, to identify locations where PFAS may be present in drinking water sources. An indicator factor (also known as "risk factor") was developed as a function of distance between potential past and/or present PFAS users (e.g., military bases, industrial sites, and airports) and the public water system, which generates a heat map that visualizes potential exposure risks. A binomial logistic regression model indicates whether PFAS are likely to be detected in public water systems. The results obtained using the developed screening approach aligned well (with a 76% overall model accuracy) with PFAS sampling and chemical analysis data from 81 public drinking water systems in the state of Kentucky. This study proposes this screening model as an effective decision aid to assist key decision-makers in identifying and prioritizing sampling locations for potential PFAS exposure risks in the public drinking water sources in their service areas. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:163-174. © 2022 SETAC.

Effects of per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances on pancreatic and endocrine differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Cross-cutting studies of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in Arctic wildlife and humans

2,6-Dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone formation from chlorination of substituted aromatic antioxidants and its control by pre-ozonation in drinking water treatment plant

Nowadays, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are crucial for providing safe and clean drinking water to the population worldwide. However, recent studies have revealed that DWTPs may not fully eliminate microplastics (MPs) from the drinking water supply. This emerging pollutant, coming from diverse sources can evade conventional filtration methods or be introduced during water purification and persist in treated water. For this reason, it is important to provide data from real DWTPs to understand MPs’ fate in DWTPs and detect potential hotspots of MPs pollution. The present study aims to assess the presence and removal rates of MPs, in the influent and effluent, as well as after each treatment unit, of two different DWTPs with different treatment processes. These plants receive raw freshwater from a river and a reservoir, supplying drinking water to Barcelona (Spain). Levels of MPs were 402 and 4,465 MPs/m3 in the influent of DWTP 1 (reservoir) and DWTP 2 (river), respectively. Both DWTP presented high removal rates from 85% in DWTP 1 and 99.5% in DWTP 2 regarding influent levels. Recovery water from clarifiers, as well as sand and carbon filters washing, contained high MP levels (from 17,400 to 63,000 MPs/m3). Their recirculation within the DWTP reintroduced MPs into the system. In the present study, the new methodology to measure MPs in drinking water proposed by the Commission Delegated Decision Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council was implemented even though the sampling campaign and analysis were performed before their publication. Graphical Abstract