Occurrences and sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water from inflowing rivers of the Dongting Lake basin, China

WU Ying-qi; ZENG Si-han; WU Zhen-hao; WEN Yan-ni; XIONG Jun-wu; JING Yi-ming; CHEN An-ran; WANG Xue-liang; GUO Jun; CHEN Wei

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China Environmental Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (2) : 880-887.

Occurrences and sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water from inflowing rivers of the Dongting Lake basin, China

WU Ying-qi¹, ZENG Si-han¹, WU Zhen-hao¹, WEN Yan-ni¹, XIONG Jun-wu¹, JING Yi-ming¹, CHEN An-ran¹, WANG Xue-liang¹, GUO Jun², CHEN Wei^1,2,3

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Abstract

To investigate the occurrence characteristics and sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the Dongting Lake basin, water samples from the major inflowing rivers were collected during the wet season. The concentrations of 22 typical PFASs were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS), the levels and potential sources of PFASs, and the substitution trends of short-chain and emerging PFASs were then explored. The results showed that 19 out of the 22 target PFASs were detected in the water samples from the inflowing rivers of the Dongting Lake basin. The total concentrations of PFASs ranged from 0.954 to 12.50ng/L with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) being dominant. The spatial distribution of PFASs in the water showed higher concentrations in the north and east, and lower concentrations in the south and west. The water from the Tuojiang River and the Xinqiang River exhibited the highest PFAS concentrations, with the average concentrations of 11.83ng/L and 11.01ng/L, respectively. Fast food, textiles, and leather and fluoropolymer manufacturing are the main sources of PFASs in the inflowing rivers of the Dongting Lake basin, making 91.1% contribution of total inputs. Short-chain PFHxA and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) were the main substitutes for legacy PFASs in this basin.

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Dongting Lake / per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) / occurrence characteristics / source analysis / substitution

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WU Ying-qi, ZENG Si-han, WU Zhen-hao, WEN Yan-ni, XIONG Jun-wu, JING Yi-ming, CHEN An-ran, WANG Xue-liang, GUO Jun, CHEN Wei. Occurrences and sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water from inflowing rivers of the Dongting Lake basin, China[J]. China Environmental Science. 2026, 46(2): 880-887

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