Occurrence characteristics and human exposure assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the soil-corn system from a typical agricultural area influenced by a fluorine chemical park

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in soil and crop systems have been identified as a potential source of human exposure, as indicated by recent studies. Our findings revealed that perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was the predominant PFAS detected in soil (0.11-17.48 ng g -1 ) and corn (1.48-46.79 ng g -1 ). The concentration of PFASs in both soil and plant tissues decreased with increasing distance from the fluorine chemical park. Notably, PFAS concentration was higher in the leaves than in the roots, shoots, and kernels. Furthermore, corn roots tended to accumulate long-chain PFASs (C8), which hindered the transport of these substances to other parts of the plants. An assessment of human exposure indicated that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is unlikely to pose a significant risk through soil ingestion. However, residents could be at risk of ingesting elevated levels of PFASs from consuming corn kernels.