Tracking PFAS across Environmental Media Surrounding Fluorochemical Industrial Park: Insights from Nontarget Analysis and Risk Assessment

The occurrence and accumulation of novel perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as a scientific concern in recent years. While numerous studies have identified elevated concentrations of certain emerging PFAS, the sources and environmental accumulation differences of many homologues remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we employed suspect and nontarget screening to characterize both legacy and emerging PFAS across environmental matrices, including water, sediment, and soil, surrounding an industrial park with predominant perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) contamination. A total of 32 classes comprising 112 compounds were identified, including 80 emerging PFAS detected through the screening approach. In addition to PFCAs, emerging PFAS, including perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs), perfluoroalkyl alcohols (PFAs), and PFA derivatives, were frequently detected in the study area, primarily in water and sediment samples. In contrast, the contamination profile was less complicated in soil samples, where PFCAs were the predominant homologues. The median total concentrations of target PFAS in water, sediment, and soil samples were 427 ng/L, 4.17 ng/g of dw, and 3.92 ng/g of dw, respectively. Predicted risk assessment further indicated that these emerging PFAS with high concentrations pose non-negligible risks to both ecological and human health, underscoring the need for further investigation into their potential impacts.