Multiple impacts of human activities on environmental fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Xiaoqing River of China

Yanjun Liu; Haojie Lei; Yonglong Lu; Pei Wang; Ting Wu

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126738

Multiple impacts of human activities on environmental fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Xiaoqing River of China

Environ Pollut. 2025 Jun 26:126738. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126738. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yanjun Liu¹, Haojie Lei¹, Yonglong Lu², Pei Wang¹, Ting Wu¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian 361102, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian 361102, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: yllu@rcees.ac.cn.

PMID: 40581172
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126738

Abstract

EMISSIONS OF PER: and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from fluorochemical industries pose a significant environmental threat, with transport processes influenced by various human activities. This study examined the impacts of local industrial emissions, dredging, and riverway connectivity on the environmental fate of PFAS in the Xiaoqing River Basin. In 2023, the mean concentration of ∑PFAS in surface water within the basin was 15.3 μg L^-1, and showed a decreasing trend from 2013 to 2023. Notably, alternative PFAS such as hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPODA) and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2FTS) were more prevalent in sediment. A significant correlation was found between fluorochemical industrial park (FIP) production and PFAS emissions in downstream waters. Annual sales of polymers showed a strong positive correlation with contributions of alternative PFAS due to emissions from polymer production. Dredging effectively removed over 98% of PFAS from sediment compared to 2013. Meanwhile riverway connectivity influenced PFAS levels in surface water, resulting in increased concentrations of PFAS in tributaries and adjacent rivers of the Xiaoqing River, and decreased concentrations in downstream of FIP.

Keywords: Dredging; Fluorochemical industry park; PFAS; Waterway connectivity; Xiaoqing River Basin.