Perfluorinated Compounds in the Cape Fear Drainage Basin in North Carolina

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2007 papers

Abstract

Concern over perfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs), e.g., perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is due to a number of recent studies which show that the PFCs are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic in animals. Despite sustained interest in this topic, little information is available concerning the environmental distributions of the compounds. In this study, a new method was developed for the analysis of 10 target PFCs and its performance was examined in a systematic evaluation of surface water in the Cape Fear River Basin in North Carolina. One hundred samples from 80 different locations were collected during the spring of 2006. Detectable levels of the target PFCs were found in all samples, and were comparable to values reported previously, with maximum PFOS at 132 ng/L, PFOA at 287 ng/L, perfluorononanoic acid (C9) at 194 ng/L, and perfluoroheptanoic acid (C7) at 329 ng/L. In general, the lowest concentrations of the PFCs were found in the smallest tributaries while the highest levels were found in middle reaches of the Drainage Basin. Variability of PFC concentrations suggests a series of source inputs throughout the Basin. Seventeen sample sites (22%) had PFOS concentrations greater than 43 ng/L, a conservative safe water concentration estimated to be protective of avian life. In addition, a total of 26 sites (32%) had PFOA concentrations above 40 ng/L.

Related Papers

• → Sonochemical Decomposition of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid(2005)449 cited
• → Determination of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Lake Victoria Gulf Water(2008)62 cited
• → Correspondence on “Defluorination of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) by Acidimicrobium sp. Strain A6”(2023)20 cited
• Contamination characteristics of perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA) in aquatic products from Guangzhou(2013)
• POPsのリスク評価にむけてのヒト曝露長期モニタリングのための試料バンクの創設に関する研究 試料バンクの有用性の検証 新たな難分解性化学物質-Perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS)およびPerfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)の分析法および処理法の開発 PFOS・PFOAの処理方法の検討(2006)