Occurrence and source apportionment of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the atmosphere in China

作者：Deming Han, Yingge Ma, Cheng Huang, Xufeng Zhang, Hao Xu, Yong Zhou, Shan Liang, Xiaojia Chen, Xiqian Huang, Haoxiang Liao, Shuang Fu, Xue Hu, Jinping Cheng · 发表于：Atmospheric chemistry and physics · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.5194/acp-19-14107-2019 · 被引用次数：43 · 研究领域：Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research、Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols、Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Abstract. Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are a form of toxic pollutant that can be transported across the globe and accumulated in the bodies of wildlife and humans. A nationwide geographical investigation considering atmospheric PFAAs via a passive air sampler (PAS) based on XAD (a styrene–divinylbenzene copolymer) was conducted in 23 different provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions in China, which provides an excellent chance to investigate their occurrences, spatial trends, and potential sources. The total atmospheric concentrations of 13 PFAAs (n=268) were 6.19–292.57 pg m−3, with an average value of 39.84±28.08 pg m−3, which were higher than other urban levels but lower than point source measurements. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominant PFAA (20.6 %), followed by perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFPeA). An increasing seasonal trend of PFAA concentrations was shown as summer < autumn < spring < winter, which may be initiated by stagnant meteorological conditions. Spatially, the content of PFAAs displayed a declining gradient trend of central China > northern China > eastern China > north-eastern China > south-western China > north-western China > southern China, and Henan contributed the largest proportion of PFAAs. Four sources of PFAAs were identified using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, including PFOS-based products (26.1 %), products based on PFOA and p...