Occurrence and fate of perfluoroalkyl substances in marine sediments from the Chinese Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea

Abstract

In this study, 166 surface sediments and 3 sediment cores from the Bohai Sea (BS), Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS) in China were collected to investigate the spatial and temporal distributions and the transport of PFASs. PFASs concentrations in the surface sediments ranged from below detection limit (<LOD) to 2.78 ng g−1 with an average value of 0.55 ng g−1 on a dry weight basis (dw). A general decreasing trend of PFASs from the coast areas to the open sea was found. Multivariate regression analysis indicated pH and longitude were the major factors influencing surficial distributions of PFASs in the sampling areas (R2 = 0.29, p < 0.01). Total PFASs concentrations in the sediment cores ranged from <LOD to 1.65 ng g−1 dw, with an increasing trend from the lower to the upper layers, corresponding well to the increasing production and usage in China in recent years.