Seasonal variations and spatial distributions of perfluoroalkyl substances in the rivers Elbe and lower Weser and the North Sea

The spatial distributions and seasonal variations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface waters were investigated for the German rivers Elbe and lower Weser, and the North Sea. ∑PFAS concentrations ranged from 4.1 to 250ngL−1 in the River Elbe, from 3.8 to 16ngL−1 in the lower Weser, and fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2015-06, Vol.129, p.118-125
Main Authors: Zhao, Zhen, Xie, Zhiyong, Tang, Jianhui, Sturm, Renate, Chen, Yingjun, Zhang, Gan, Ebinghaus, Ralf
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkanesulfonic Acids - analysis
Brackish
Caproates - analysis
Caprylates - analysis
Correlation
Environmental Monitoring
Fluorocarbons - analysis
Fluxes
Germany
North Sea
Perfluoroalkyls
PFAS
Riverine flux
Rivers
Rivers - chemistry
Seasonal variation
Seasonal variations
Seasons
Spatial distribution
Surface water
The North Sea
The River Elbe
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
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Summary:The spatial distributions and seasonal variations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface waters were investigated for the German rivers Elbe and lower Weser, and the North Sea. ∑PFAS concentrations ranged from 4.1 to 250ngL−1 in the River Elbe, from 3.8 to 16ngL−1 in the lower Weser, and from 0.13 to 10ngL−1 in the North Sea. The most abundant compound was perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) with a proportion of 24% in river water and 31% in seawater samples. The concentrations of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Elbe River water showed significant seasonal variation in 2011. The seasonal variations might be related to the variations of water discharge. The highest concentrations of PFOA and PFHxA were detected in August. Pearson correlations showed that perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and PFBS had different sources from other PFASs, and the current manufacturing and use of C4-based products could explain the distinction. The estimated fluxes of individual substances and ∑PFASs in the River Elbe showed no significant seasonal variation. The annual fluxes of PFASs to the North Sea were estimated to be 335±100kgyear−1 from the River Elbe and 102±22kgyear−1 from the River Weser.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.050