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Reconstructed trends of PFAS in sediment cores in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA
Citation:
Cashman, M., M. Cantwell, J. Sullivan, A. Robuck, AND D. Katz. Reconstructed trends of PFAS in sediment cores in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. UMass Boston School for Environment Virtual SFE Earth Day Symposium, online, N/A, April 22, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of human-made chemicals that are persistent and bioaccumulative. There is growing concern that exposure to PFAS can adversely affect the health of humans and aquatic organisms. A field study was conducted to assess the temporal distribution of PFAS in a sediment core from Narragansett Bay, RI. Chemical analysis indicated the long-term history of PFAS use and release to Narragansett Bay. These findings contribute to the understanding of PFAS exposure in urban estuaries and will support future evaluations of the risks that PFAS pose to aquatic organisms.
Description:
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used extensively in commercial and industrial applications for decades. Their demonstrated persistence and bioaccumulative properties have resulted in widespread environmental distribution. Our current understanding of PFAS fate in the marine environment is significantly limited by analytical techniques that identify a discreet subset of PFAS compounds. A dated sediment core collected from Narragansett Bay, RI, was analyzed for 24 terminal PFAS compounds. After initial PFAS quantification, a modified Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) assay was used to transform PFAS precursors into quantifiable PFAS compounds. PFAS sediment concentrations were compared pre- and post-TOP assay to better understand temporal PFAS distribution in Narragansett Bay. Data showed temporal trends of PFAS accumulation preserved within the sediment record ranging from <1–17.76 ng/g sediment. Compounds including PFOS, PFOA, PFHxA, and PFHpA showed significantly higher concentrations post-TOP assay. These data show that environmental PFAS concentrations are well preserved in the sediment record, and that many PFAS precursors present in the environment are undetected in initial sediment analysis. This suggests that existing PFAS detection methods for marine sediments may underestimate total PFAS concentrations.
