Zhang Lilan, Zhang Yuejia, Gong Qijun, Yang Zhihui, Sun Dong
Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.
Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Aug 15;494:138631. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138631. Epub 2025 May 14.
The accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in subtropical gyres, commonly referred to as "garbage patches", remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, we collected surface seawater samples from 40 sites across the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) and identified 19 different PFAS. Of them, perfluoro-n-butanoic acid (PFBA) exhibits the highest concentration (median 329.2 pg/L). The concentration of ΣPFAS in nearshore region (median 910.5 pg/L) is higher than those in two other oceanic regions (with medians of 773.8 pg/L in Philippine Sea and 863.1 pg/L in Equatorial Current, respectively). However, in North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), the ΣPFAS concentration (median 1056.5 pg/L) is higher than that in the nearshore region and significantly higher than in North Equatorial Current (NEC) (p < 0.05) and the composition and concentrations of PFAS in this region significantly differ from those in other oceanic regions (p < 0.05). Additionally, PFBA, an alternative perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA), is significantly enriched in the NPSG (p < 0.05). These suggest that alternative PFAS have now become the main PFAS pollutants in the surface waters of TWP, with PFOA and its alternatives making up the majority. Enrichment of PFCA is observed in the surface seawater of NPSG, with enrichment factors influenced by chain length and human activities. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the distribution and migration characteristics of PFAS in TWP, emphasizing the influence of subtropical gyre on PFAS accumulation.
全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）在亚热带环流（通常称为“垃圾带”）中的积累情况，目前仍缺乏充分的特征描述。在本研究中，我们从热带西太平洋（TWP）的40个地点采集了表层海水样本，并鉴定出19种不同的PFAS。其中，全氟正丁酸（PFBA）的浓度最高（中位数为329.2 pg/L）。近岸区域的ΣPFAS浓度（中位数为910.5 pg/L）高于其他两个海洋区域（菲律宾海的中位数为773.8 pg/L，赤道流的中位数为863.1 pg/L）。然而，在北太平洋亚热带环流（NPSG）中，ΣPFAS浓度（中位数为1056.5 pg/L）高于近岸区域，且显著高于北赤道流（NEC）（p < 0.05），该区域PFAS的组成和浓度与其他海洋区域显著不同（p < 0.05）。此外，作为替代全氟烷基羧酸（PFCA）的PFBA在NPSG中显著富集（p < 0.05）。这些表明，替代PFAS现已成为TWP表层水体中的主要PFAS污染物，其中全氟辛酸及其替代品占大多数。在NPSG的表层海水中观察到PFCA的富集，富集因子受链长和人类活动影响。本研究首次全面分析了PFAS在TWP中的分布和迁移特征，强调了亚热带环流对PFAS积累的影响。
