Worldwide Distribution of Novel Perfluoroether Carboxylic and Sulfonic Acids in Surface Water

TLDR

Driven by increasingly stringent restrictions on long‑chain per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), novel fluorinated compounds have emerged on the market. The study aimed to assess whether novel PFECAs and PFESAs are emerging global contaminants. The authors analyzed surface water samples from 106 sites in China, 12 in the United States, 6 in the United Kingdom, 10 in Sweden, 14 in Germany, 6 in the Netherlands, and 6 in Korea for PFECAs and PFESAs. HFPO‑DA, HFPO‑TA, and 6:2 Cl‑PFESA were frequently detected worldwide (median 0.95, 0.21, 0.31 ng L⁻¹), 6:2 H‑PFESA was found in >95 % of Chinese samples but not elsewhere, ADONA was only trace in the Rhine, and riverine mass discharges of HFPO‑DA, HFPO‑TA, and ΣPFESAs reached 2.6, 6.0, and 4.3 t yr⁻¹ in major Chinese rivers.

Abstract

Driven by increasingly stringent restrictions on long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), novel fluorinated compounds have emerged on the market. Here we report on the occurrences of several perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic and sulfonic acids (PFECAs and PFESAs), including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer and trimer acids (HFPO-DA and HFPO-TA), ammonium 4,8-dioxa-3 H-perfluorononanoate (ADONA), chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (6:2 Cl-PFESA), and its hydrogen-substituted analogue (6:2 H-PFESA) in surface waters from China ( n = 106), the United States ( n = 12), the United Kingdom ( n = 6), Sweden ( n = 10), Germany ( n = 14), The Netherlands ( n = 6), and Korea ( n = 6). Results showed that HFPO-DA, HFPO-TA, and 6:2 Cl-PFESA (median = 0.95, 0.21, and 0.31 ng/L, respectively) were frequently detected in all countries, indicating ubiquitous dispersal and distribution in global surface waters. The presence of 6:2 H-PFESA was widely detected in China (detection rate > 95%) but not in any other country. Only trace levels of ADONA (0.013-1.5 ng/L) were detected in the Rhine River flowing through Germany. The estimated total riverine mass discharges of HFPO-DA, HFPO-TA, and ΣPFESAs reached 2.6, 6.0, and 4.3 ton/year in five of the major river systems in China. Our results indicated that novel PFECAs and PFESAs might become global contaminants, and future investigations are warranted.