Temporal variation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) abundances in Shenzhen Bay sediments over past 65 years

Danxu Guo; Yang Zhou; Fang Chen; Zimin Wang; Haoshuai Li; Nan Wang; Huayang Gan; Shuhong Fang; Rui Bao

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115387

Temporal variation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) abundances in Shenzhen Bay sediments over past 65 years

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Sep;194(Pt B):115387. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115387. Epub 2023 Aug 16.

Authors

Danxu Guo¹, Yang Zhou², Fang Chen³, Zimin Wang¹, Haoshuai Li¹, Nan Wang⁴, Huayang Gan², Shuhong Fang⁵, Rui Bao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Engineering Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
² Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 5111458, China; Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou, 511458, China.
³ Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 5111458, China; Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou, 511458, China. Electronic address: Zhchenfang66@21cn.com.
⁴ Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Lab of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, MOE and College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
⁵ College of Resources and Environment, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China. Electronic address: fsh@cuit.edu.cn.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Engineering Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China. Electronic address: baorui@ouc.edu.cn.

PMID: 37595453
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115387

Abstract

We examined the vertical distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and total organic carbon in sediment cores located in Shenzhen Bay area. We investigated the ²¹⁰Pb_ex specific activity of the sediments and calculated the flux of PFASs to understand the temporal variation of PFASs in the past 65 years. The results showed that the concentrations of PFASs generally decreased with depth, ranging from 13 to 251 pg/g dw. The highest PFASs detected were perfluorobutanesulfonic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid, and perfluorohexanoic acid, which correspond to raw materials used in fire-fighting foam and food packaging industries. The flux of PFASs in Shenzhen Bay showed varying growth after 1978 when China's GDP entered a rapid growth stage. Our findings suggest that the vertical distribution of PFASs in Shenzhen Bay is fluctuating with the changes in industrial types and economic development, with implications for studying the fate of other persistent pollutants in the oceans.

Keywords: Human activity; Long-time scale; PFASs; Sediments; Shenzhen Bay; Vertical variation.

MeSH terms

Environmental Pollutants*
Fluorocarbons*
Food Packaging
Industry

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Fluorocarbons