Suspended particulate matter-bound per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a river-coastal system: Possible correlation with transparent exopolymer particles

Ruei-Feng Shiu; Hui-Ju Lee; Hung-Te Hsu; Gwo-Ching Gong

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114975

Suspended particulate matter-bound per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a river-coastal system: Possible correlation with transparent exopolymer particles

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Jun:191:114975. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114975. Epub 2023 Apr 28.

Authors

Ruei-Feng Shiu¹, Hui-Ju Lee², Hung-Te Hsu², Gwo-Ching Gong³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan; Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan. Electronic address: rfshiu@mail.ntou.edu.tw.
² Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan; Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, Taiwan.

PMID: 37121184
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114975

Abstract

The transport and ultimate fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are generally considered to be influenced by partitioning behavior between water, suspended particulate matters (SPM), and sediments. This study examined the distribution and partitioning of the PFASs in the water, SPM, and sediments in a densely populated urban river-coastal system. The total concentrations of eight PFASs (∑₈ PFASs) in the water phase, SPM, and sediments varied from 0.59 to 7.40 ng/L, 0.54 to 9.08 ng/g, and 0.05 to 0.13 ng/g, respectively. The PFAS concentrations in the water and SPM phase decreased as the salinity increased, confirming contaminant inputs from the upstream of the river to the estuary zone. Notably, the positive correlation between SPM-bound PFASs and transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) content, providing first evidence that TEPs may accumulate and concentrate more PFASs on the SPM. Collectively, this results offers useful information about roles of TEPs in determining environmental fate of PFASs.

Keywords: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; Sediment; Suspended particulate matter; Tamsui river; Transparent exopolymer particles.

MeSH terms

China
Environmental Monitoring
Extracellular Polymeric Substance Matrix / chemistry
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Geologic Sediments
Particulate Matter / analysis
Rivers
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Water