Perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs) in surface and tap water around Lake Taihu in China

Abstract

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are ubiquitously distributed in the environment mainly as perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs). In this paper, six PFCAs and two PFASs were quantified in surface and tap water samples from 12 sites around Lake Taihu near Shanghai City in East China. Predominant PFCs were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), of which the concentration ranges were 6.8–206 and 1.2–45 ng·L−1, the geometric means were 35.3 and 9.4 ng·L−1, and the median (quartile range) values were 31.4 (34.4) and 10.4 (10.7) ng·L−1, respectively. Other PFCs were also detected but in much lower concentrations than PFOA. The sources of the PFCs were expected to be direct industrial discharges in the Lake Taihu area, and this area was also a possible source of PFCs contaminations in Shanghai district in the downstream. PFCs distributions were found different in the upstream, downstream and north part of Lake Taihu. Occurrences of PFCs in the tap water in Lake Taihu area indicated their exposure to the local people. A brief estimation of the environmental risks by PFCs implied no acute or immediate risks from PFCs to local human health, but chronic risks from PFOA in the tap water should be considered in the downstream regions.