Distribution of perfluorinated compounds in Lake Taihu (China): Impact to human health and water standards

The distribution in water and sediment, the sources/sinks and the risk of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in Lake Taihu, China were investigated. The total PFCs concentration was 164 to 299 ng L− 1 in water and 5.8 to 35 ng g− 1 (dw) in sediment. The highest concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in water were 29.2 ng L− 1 and 136 ng L− 1. PFOS was largely associated with sediment, whereas short chain PFCs predominated in water. The partition coefficient (Kd) was positively correlated with the organic carbon fraction (ƒoc) for PFOS but not for the other PFCs. The organic carbon normalized partition coefficient (Koc) increased by 0.51 log units for each additional CF2 moiety from perfluoro-butanesulfonate (PFBS) to PFOS. For the same chain length but different functional groups, the log Koc of PFOS was 1.35 units higher than PFOA. PFOS exhibited the highest affinity for sediment through the partition mechanism, and ƒoc affected the sediment as a sink of PFOS. Although there was no immediate health impact by the intake of the water alone, the consumption of aquatic products may cause potential health risks for animals/humans on the time scale of months to years. The relationship between the concentration, water-sediment distribution, bioaccumulation and toxicity should be considered in determining the water standards of PFCs.