Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria of Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, PR China.
Environ Res. 2024 Jun 15;251(Pt 2):118707. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118707. Epub 2024 Mar 14.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are recognized as emerging environmental pollutants due to their high persistence and toxicities to humans and animals. Understanding the temporal trend of PFAS in the environment is important for their pollution control and making appropriate policies. Many studies have reported the PFAS concentrations in Taihu Lake, the third largest lake in China, while their temporal trend during the years was seldom investigated. This study summarizes the PFAS concentrations in the water, sediment and organisms in Taihu Lake from 2009 to 2020 to depict their temporal trends. Meanwhile, the ecological model of AQUATOX was applied to evaluate and predict the potential risks of PFAS from 2012 to 2030. The results showed that the total PFAS concentrations varied but without distinct increase or decrease in both water and sediment during the years, while PFAS concentrations in organisms significantly decreased. The yearly mean concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in the water were 21.7-25.4 ng/L and 9.7-26.5 ng/L respectively, lower than the Standards for Drinking Water Quality of China and the suggested water quality criteria to protect the aquatic organisms. In sediment, PFOA and PFOS concentrations were 0.16-0.69 ng/g and 0.15-0.82 ng/g respectively, much lower than the recommended sediment quality guideline values. Based on the AQUATOX prediction, there will be no major threats caused by PFAS to the growth of biota in Taihu Lake in the near future, while the biomass of some species (e.g. carp) will be affected under the perturbation of PFAS. Both field investigation and AQUATOX simulation showed that PFOS concentrations in invertebrates and fish descend steadily, while no remarkable decrease in PFOA concentrations was expected. This study suggests a decreasing ecological risk of PFAS in Taihu Lake, while highlights the necessity of continuous monitoring of PFAS contamination.
全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）因其高持久性和对人类和动物的毒性而被认为是新兴的环境污染物。了解 PFAS 在环境中的时间趋势对于其污染控制和制定适当的政策非常重要。许多研究报告了中国第三大湖泊太湖中的 PFAS 浓度，而这些浓度在这些年的时间趋势却很少被调查。本研究总结了 2009 年至 2020 年太湖水中、沉积物中和生物体中的 PFAS 浓度，以描绘其时间趋势。同时，应用 AQUATOX 生态模型评估和预测 2012 年至 2030 年 PFAS 的潜在风险。结果表明，多年来，水和沉积物中的总 PFAS 浓度有所变化，但没有明显的增加或减少，而生物体中的 PFAS 浓度则显著下降。水中全氟辛酸（PFOA）和全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）的年平均浓度分别为 21.7-25.4ng/L 和 9.7-26.5ng/L，低于中国《生活饮用水卫生标准》和保护水生生物的建议水质标准。在沉积物中，PFOA 和 PFOS 的浓度分别为 0.16-0.69ng/g 和 0.15-0.82ng/g，远低于推荐的沉积物质量指导值。根据 AQUATOX 的预测，在不久的将来，PFAS 不会对太湖生物的生长造成重大威胁，而在 PFAS 的干扰下，一些物种（如鲤鱼）的生物量将会受到影响。实地调查和 AQUATOX 模拟都表明，无脊椎动物和鱼类体内的 PFOS 浓度稳步下降，而 PFOA 浓度预计不会有明显下降。本研究表明，太湖中 PFAS 的生态风险正在降低，但同时强调了对 PFAS 污染进行持续监测的必要性。
