Tracking PFAS across Environmental Media Surrounding Fluorochemical Industrial Park: Insights from Nontarget Analysis and Risk Assessment

The occurrence and accumulation of novel perfluoroalkyl
and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) have emerged as a scientific concern in recent years.
While numerous studies have identified elevated concentrations of
certain emerging PFAS, the sources and environmental accumulation
differences of many homologues remain insufficiently characterized.
In this study, we employed suspect and nontarget screening to characterize
both legacy and emerging PFAS across environmental matrices, including
water, sediment, and soil, surrounding an industrial park with predominant
perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) contamination. A total of
32 classes comprising 112 compounds were identified, including 80
emerging PFAS detected through the screening approach. In addition
to PFCAs, emerging PFAS, including perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic
acids (PFECAs), perfluoroalkyl alcohols (PFAs), and PFA derivatives,
were frequently detected in the study area, primarily in water and
sediment samples. In contrast, the contamination profile was less
complicated in soil samples, where PFCAs were the predominant homologues.
The median total concentrations of target PFAS in water, sediment,
and soil samples were 427 ng/L, 4.17 ng/g of dw, and 3.92 ng/g of
dw, respectively. Predicted risk assessment further indicated that
these emerging PFAS with high concentrations pose non-negligible risks
to both ecological and human health, underscoring the need for further
investigation into their potential impacts.