Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 4;20(15):6524. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20156524.
Landfills pose an important public health risk, especially in historically disenfranchised communities that are disproportionately sited for landfills and in rural areas where private wells may be impacted. Landfills are major sources of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that migrate into the surrounding environment. This study characterized PFAS in surface waters adjacent to two landfills, one in Sampson County (SC) and one in Orange County (OC) in North Carolina. In addition to municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste, the landfill in SC accepts industrial sludge from a chemical plant that produces proprietary PFAS. Over four months, 35 surface water samples were collected at upstream, landfill-adjacent, and downstream/downgradient sites. Thirty-four PFAS were analyzed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy. Of those, six novel and six legacy PFAS were detected. Legacy PFAS were detected in surface water near both landfills, with the highest concentrations adjacent to the landfill. Novel PFAS were only detected in surface water near the SC landfill and showed the highest concentrations adjacent to the landfill, indicating offsite migration of PFAS. These findings support the need for more comprehensive and frequent monitoring of groundwater and surface water wells near landfills and stricter regulation regarding the landfilling of industrial materials.
垃圾填埋场对公共健康构成重大风险，尤其是在历史上被剥夺权利的社区，这些社区不成比例地被选址用于垃圾填埋场，而在农村地区，私人水井可能会受到影响。垃圾填埋场是全氟烷基物质 (PFAS) 的主要来源，这些物质会迁移到周围环境中。本研究对北卡罗来纳州桑普森县 (SC) 和奥兰治县 (OC) 的两个垃圾填埋场附近的地表水进行了 PFAS 特征描述。除了城市固体废物和建筑和拆除废物外，SC 的垃圾填埋场还接收一家化工厂产生的专有 PFAS 的工业污泥。在四个月的时间里，在上游、垃圾填埋场附近和下游/下游地点采集了 35 个地表水样本。使用液相色谱-串联质谱法分析了 34 种 PFAS。其中，检测到六种新型和六种传统 PFAS。在两个垃圾填埋场附近的地表水都检测到了传统的 PFAS，在靠近垃圾填埋场的地方浓度最高。仅在 SC 垃圾填埋场附近的地表水中检测到新型 PFAS，且在靠近垃圾填埋场的地方浓度最高，表明 PFAS 发生了场外迁移。这些发现支持对垃圾填埋场附近的地下水和地表水水井进行更全面和更频繁的监测，并对工业材料的填埋进行更严格的监管。
