Distribution of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface sediments of Southeastern North Carolina

Mead, Ralph

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/109874 Copy

Description

Title

Distribution of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface sediments of Southeastern North Carolina

Author(s)

Mead, Ralph

Issue Date

2021-04-27

Keyword(s)

• per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
• PFAS

Abstract

Presented by: Ralph Mead – Professor at University of North Carolina WIlmington, meadr@uncw.edu Co-authors: Rosa I.S. Garcia, Megumi Shimizu. Jennifer Harfmann, G. Brooks Avery, Robert J. Kieber, Stephen A. Skrabal Abstract: This study investigated the presence of legacy and novel per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in a variety of surface sediments collected along a transect of the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. Sediments were collected between September 2017 and October 2019 with total PFAS concentrations ranging from <1 ng/g to 8 ng/g dry weight. Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA) had the highest detection frequency of 70%. There were significant positive correlations between individual PFAS and sediment organic carbon content with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) having the highest correlation coefficient (Kendall’s   0.40, p = 0.004). Suspect screening in conjunction with high resolution mass spectrometry identified 15 PFAS, including a homologous series of perfluoroether carboxylic acids (PFECA) (C4-C7). Non-targeted mass spectrometry revealed isomers of perfluoroether sulfonic acids (PFESA) in sediment samples with four perfluoroether species with multiple acidic groups. Results of this study are significant because they are the first to demonstrate the presence of a variety of emerging and legacy PFAS in sediments of the Cape Fear River and underscores the important role sediments play in the removal, storage and possibly remobilization of PFAS. Biography: Ralph studies environmental organic geochemistry and is particularly interested in fate and transport of PFAS in coastal waters. He received a BS in chemistry from Florida State University, PhD. Chemistry Florida International University and post-doc University of South Carolina.

Series/Report Name or Number

2021 Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference (ECEC21)

Type of Resource

• text
• still image

Language

en

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/109874

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