Contamination levels of perfluorinated compounds in water bodies of key river basins in the Yangtze River Delta Region in 2023
10.19428/j.cnki.sjpm.2026.250325
- VernacularTitle:2023年长三角地区重点流域水体全氟化合物污染水平
- Author:
Jingxian ZHOU
1
;
Yu’e JIN
1
;
Jinjing MA
1
;
Yuanjie LIN
1
;
Liming XUE
1
;
Hailei QIAN
1
;
Yangyang REN
1
;
Ping XIAO
1
;
Guoquan WANG
1
Author Information
1. Division of Chemical Toxicity and Safety Assessment, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, Shanghai 201107, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance;
Yangtze River Delta region;
source water;
treated water;
tap water;
contamination level
- From:
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine
2026;38(7):536-542
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveThis study aimed to provide a scientific basis for the safety management of drinking water by assessing the contamination levels of 21 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water samples collected from the Yangtze River Delta region. MethodsSolid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was employed to determine 21 PFASs in 6 source water samples, 20 treated water samples, and 60 tap water samples collected from 5 administrative districts in the Yangtze River Delta region across four seasons in 2023. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare differences in PFAS concentrations among the three types of water samples, followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction. Removal efficiencies of target compounds were also calculated. ResultsAmong the 86 samples, 14 PFASs were detected, with 7 compounds detected in 100% of samples. The total concentrations of PFASs in source water, treated water, and tap water ranged from 63.85 to 190.54 ng·L-¹, 55.75 to 774.36 ng·L-¹, and 40.72 to 689.80 ng·L-¹, respectively. The compounds with the highest median concentrations were perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) (40.19, 15.20, and 14.05 ng·L-¹), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (29.69, 32.62, and 34.24 ng·L-¹), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (17.65, 39.45, and 36.83 ng·L-¹), and potassium perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) (16.99, 24.38, and 23.89 ng·L-¹). Notably, concentrations of PFOA (7.71‒71.63 ng·L-¹) and PFOS (-¹) in tap water were below the regulatory limits specified in GB 5749‒2022 Standards for Drinking Water Quality (PFOA: 0.000 08 mg·L-1, PFOS: 0.000 04 mg·L-1). Significant seasonal variations in PFAS concentrations were observed, with total PFAS levels in March being higher than those in September and November (adjusted P<0.001, and P=0.006), and levels in May being higher than those in September (adjusted P=0.037). The removal efficiencies of PFASs in the water treatment plants ranged from -14% to 34%. ConclusionPFAS contamination is widespread in source water, treated water, and tap water in the Yangtze River Delta region, and concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in all tested water samples comply with the Chinese national standards for drinking water quality (GB 5749‒2022). The use of PFASs should be continuously regulated to ensure water safety.
