Perfluorinated compounds in a coastal
industrial area of Tianjin, China
Tieyu Wang, Yonglong Lu, Chunli Chen,
Jonathan E. Naile, Jong Seong Khim &
John P. Giesy
Environmental Geochemistry and
Health
Official Journal of the Society for
Environmental Geochemistry and
Health
ISSN 0269-4042
Volume 34
Number 3
Environ Geochem Health (2012)
34:301-311
DOI 10.1007/s10653-011-9422-2
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Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
DOI 10.1007/s10653-011-9422-2
ORIGINAL PAPER
Perfluorinated compounds in a coastal industrial area
of Tianjin, China
Tieyu Wang • Yonglong Lu • Chunli Chen
Jonathan E. Naile • Jong Seong Khim •
John P. Giesy
•
Received: 15 March 2011 / Accepted: 19 August 2011 / Published online: 1 September 2011
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract Perfluorinated compounds (PFC) in water,
sediment, soil, and biota from the coastal industrial
area of Tianjin, China, were measured to provide
baseline information and to determine possible sources
and potential risk to wildlife. Perfluorooctanesulfonate
(PFOS) was the predominant PFC with maximum
concentrations of 10 ng/L in water, and 4.3, 9.4, and
240 ng/g dw in sediment, soil, and fish, respectively.
Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) concentration in water
ranged from 3.0 to 12 ng/L. Perfluoroundecanoate
T. Wang Y. Lu (&) C. Chen
State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology,
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
e-mail: yllu@rcees.ac.cn
J. E. Naile J. P. Giesy
Toxicology Centre and Department of Veterinary
Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, SK S7N5B3, Canada
J. S. Khim
Division of Environmental Science and Ecological
Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713,
Republic of Korea
J. P. Giesy
Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud
University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
J. P. Giesy
Department of Zoology and Center for Integrative
Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing,
MI 48824, USA
(PFUnA) and Perfluorododecanoate (PFDoA) were
detected in solid matrices, respectively, at concentrations of\LOQ to 1.2 ng/g dw and 0.27–0.81 ng/g dw
in sediments, and \LOQ to 1.0 ng/g dw and 0.26–
0.61 ng/g dw in soils. Concentrations of PFOS, PFUnA,
and PFDoA in sediment and soil from this industrialized and urbanized area were greater than those
previously reported, while PFOS and PFOA in water
and biota were both less than reported threshold
concentrations for adverse effects in wildlife.
Keywords PFC Water Soil Sediment Biota Risk
Introduction
Because of their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, global distribution, and toxicity (Conder
et al. 2008; Schuetze et al. 2010; Zushi et al. 2010),
concern about the presence of perfluorinated chemicals (PFC) has been increasing since they were first
reported to be widespread in the environment (Giesy
and Kannan 2001, 2002). PFC have been used in a
variety of applications such as surfactants and surface
protectors in carpets, leather, paper, food containers,
fire-fighting foams, floor polishes, and shampoos
(Kissa 2001). These compounds are introduced in the
environment during production and use in industries,
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302
in products, runoff, accidental spills, or untreated
discharges (Melissa et al. 2003). PFC have been
detected in aquatic systems (Fujii et al. 2007; Rayne
and Forest 2009; Kim et al. 2011) and wildlife
(Houde et al. 2006; Fatihah et al. 2009; Fair et al.
2010). Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) is the terminal degradation product of a number of poly or
perfluorinated precursors and is detected in environmental and biological samples where it is also the
predominant PFC. PFOS was recently listed as a
‘‘persistent organic pollutant’’ under the Stockholm
Convention, but exemptions were made, which allow
continued production and use in China (Wang et al.
2009b). Restrictions on production of PFOS in other
countries have resulted in increased production and
use in China as well as overseas exports. Since 2000,
annual production of PFOS-containing chemicals in
China has increased each year (Bao et al. 2009).
Rapid industrial development during the past few
decades has transformed China into one of the
world’s largest economies, especially in the Bohai
Sea region; a semi-enclosed coastal water body
located on the northeast coast of China. The Tianjin
Binhai New Area (TBNA), situated in the lower part
of the Haihe River watershed and west of Bohai Bay,
is one of the most important industrial areas in the
North of China. Intensive economic development and
urbanization in this area have severely deteriorated
environmental quality, especially along the coast.
The TBNA is comprised of three different administrative regions, Tanggu, Hangu, and Dagang. Tanggu
and Hangu have been historically known for their
chemical industry with the Dagu Chemical Industrial
Park at Tanggu and the Hangu Chemical Industrial
Park at Hangu. The Dagang region has abundant
wetlands and oil resources, and the industries that
produce or process petroleum, petrochemicals, and
fine chemicals are developing.
Organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, and metals are present in various
environmental media in the TBNA (Jiao et al. 2009;
Wang et al. 2009a; Shi et al. 2010). However, previous
studies have focused mainly on classic persistent toxic
substances (PTS), and little information is available
for emerging PTS such as PFC. Concentrations of PFC
in environmental matrices from the TBNA are scarce.
The present study was part of a larger program to
assess contamination in various environmental media
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Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
from marine environment and adjacent riverine and
estuarine areas of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. The
objectives of the present study were to determine
concentrations, distribution, and fate of PFC in environmental matrices and to identify potential sources
and thus provide information for future management
and remediation efforts in the Bohai Sea region.
Materials and methods
Standards and reagents
A mixture of 12 PFC (purity for each PFC [ 98%)
including PFOS, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonate
(PFHxS), perfluorodecane sulfonate (PFDS), perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA),
perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), perfluorononanoate
(PFNA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnA), and perfluorododecanoate (PFDoA)
were obtained from Wellington Laboratories (Guelph,
ON, Canada). The internal standard consisted of PFOA
[1,2,3,4 13C] and PFOS [18O2] (purity for PFOA and
PFOS [ 98%, Wellington Laboratories). HPLC grade
methanol and ammonium acetate were purchased from
J.T. Baker (Phillipsburg, NJ, USA). Analytical grade
sodium thiosulfate was purchased from EMD Chemicals (Gibbstown, NJ, USA). Nano-pure water was
obtained from a Milli-Q Gradient A-10 (Millipore,
Bedford, MA, USA).
Study area and sample collection
TBNA (38°400 –39°000 N and 117°200 –118°000 E) is
located at the intersection of the Beijing–Tianjin–
Hebei economic zone and the center of the Bohai
Bay Rim city belt, in Eastern Tianjin, China. TBNA
lies in the warm temperate zone, with between
maritime and continental monsoon climate. Mean
annual precipitation is between 520 and 660 mm, and
the average annual temperature is 12°C. Of the three
districts in the TBNA, Tanggu is the most urbanized
and industrialized area followed by Hangu and
Dagang.
Samples consisting of 8 sets of waters, soils, and
sediments, totaling 24, as well as three species of
biota including 21 Crucian carp (Carassius auratus),
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Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
Fig. 1 Map showing the sampling locations for water, sediment, soil, and biota samples collected along Tianjin coast,
China
303
11 swimming crabs (Portunus trituberculatus), and
44 prawn (Penaeus semisulcatus) were collected
from Tianjin Bohai Bay during May of 2008 (Fig. 1).
Global positioning (GPS) was used to locate sampling sites, and information on sampling sites was
summarized in Table l. One liter of surface water was
collected by dipping a clean, methanol-rinsed 1-L
polypropylene (PP) bottle just under the surface of
the water. Residual chlorine in water samples was
reduced by adding 200 lL of 200 mg sodium thiosulfate/mL. Surface (top 0–10 cm) soil and sediment
samples were collected by use of a clean, methanolrinsed stainless steel trowel, then freeze-dried,
homogenized, and passed through a 2.0-mm sieve
in laboratory prior to extraction. Biological samples
were collected by hand-catch or netting from coastal
tidal pools and along the shores of inland water
bodies. Fish were thawed and filleted (skin-on).
Composite samples from each sampling location
were made by combining fillets of several fish before
homogenization. Duplicate samples and field blanks
were collected daily and were analyzed along with
laboratory and procedural blanks. All samples were
Table 1 Sampling details including location description and type of samples collected in the present study
Sampling
Sample details (# of samples)
Area
Riverine
Location
Geological characteristics
Water
Sediment
Soil
Biologicala (# of indiv.)
Hangu
Chaobai
River
TB1
Near to high-tech industrial park
1
1
1
3: carp (7), crab (5), and
prawn (21)
Yongding
River
TB2
Near to a reservoir
1
1
1
Yongding
River
TB3
Riverside, abandoned land
1
1
1
Yongding
River
TB4
Coastal area, vicinity of oil plant
1
1
1
Haihe River
TB5
Sewage drainage, near chemindustrial plant
1
1
1
Haihe River
TB6
Coastal area, inside of harbor
1
1
1
Duliujian
River
TB7
Coastal area, near to garment
factories
1
1
1
Ziya River
TB8
Coastal area, near to oil production
plant
1
1
1
8
8
8
8
8
8
Tanggu
Dagang
No. of location
No. of samples
3: carp (9), crab (6), and
prawn (23)
1: carp (5)
3
7 (76 individuals)
a
Biological samples were collected from the middle of rivers in each area of Hangu, Tanggu, and Dagang, respectively (see precise
locations in Fig. 1, species name in Table 3)
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stored on ice for transportation and frozen at -20°C
before treatment.
Extraction and cleanup
Water was extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE)
with Oasis HLB cartridges (Waters Corp., Milford,
MA, 0.2 g, 6 cm3), as described previously (Naile
et al. 2010). Prior to extraction, samples were spiked
with 500 lL of 5 ng/mL internal standard (PFOS
[18O2] and PFOA [1,2,3,4 13C]). After preconditioning with 10 mL methanol and nano-pure water, the
cartridge was loaded with 500 mL sample at approximately 1 drop per second. The cartridge was washed
with 5 mL of 40% methanol in water and allowed to
run dry and then eluted with 10 mL of methanol at
the same rate. Eluates were collected and then
reduced to 1 mL under a high purity gentle stream
of nitrogen gas.
Extraction of PFCs in soil and sediment was
accomplished by use of a method similar to that
described by Naile et al. (2010). In brief, 1.0 g of
sample was transferred to a 50-mL PP tube with
10 mL of a 1% acetic acid solution and spiked
with 500 lL of 5 ng/mL internal standard mixtures.
The sample was vortexed and placed in a heated
sonication bath for 15 min at 60°C and then centrifuged for 3 min, after which the acetic acid solution
was decanted into a new clean 50-mL PP tube. An
aliquant of 2.5 mL of a 90:10 (v/v) methanol and 1%
acetic acid mixture was added to the original vial,
vortex mixed again, and sonicated for 15 min. This
process was repeated once more, and a final 10 mL
acetic acid wash was preformed. All extracts were
combined in the second tube before being passed
through the SPE cartridge in a similar fashion as
described above in the water extraction procedure.
Animal tissues were extracted using a method
described previously (Naile et al. 2010) that combines an alkaline digestion followed by SPE. Approximately 1.0 g of homogenized tissue sample (dry
powder) was transferred to a 50-mL PP centrifuge
tube and spiked with 500 lL of 5 ng/mL internal
standard, and 30 mL of 0.01 N KOH/methanol was
added to the tube. The mixture was shaken at room
temperature for 16 h. After digestion, 5.0 mL of the
water–tissue mixture was transferred to a new PP
tube and then extracted using SPE cartridges as
previously stated above as water.
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Quantitative analyses and quality control
Quantitative analyses were performed by a highperformance liquid chromatography equipped with an
electrospray tandem mass spectrometer (HPLC–MS/
MS). Quantification was performed using the internal
standard method based on 18O2-PFOS and 13C4PFOA as the surrogate. Concentrations of all analytes
in all field and laboratory blanks were less than the
limit of quantification (LOQ), where the LOQ was
defined as 5 times the background signal of the
solvent blank. The MDL was defined as the amount
of chemical which could be detected in a given
amount of sample after the entire method was
preformed. Details of the analytical conditions,
quality assurance, and quality control measures have
been described elsewhere previously (Naile et al.
2010).
Results and discussion
PFC distribution in environmental matrices
and biota
Of the 12 examined analytes, seven were found in
water, sediment, and soil. PFC quantified included
PFOS, PFOA, PFHpA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA,
and PFDoA (Table 2). Of the 12 PFC investigated,
PFOS and PFOA consistently occurred at the greatest
concentrations. All water samples contained detectable concentrations of PFOS and PFOA, while
PFDoA and PFUnA were found to be ubiquitous
compounds in sediments and soils. As for biological
samples, PFOS was found to be predominant followed by PFDA and PFUnA, and no other compounds were detected (Table 3).
PFC in surface water
Concentrations of the sum PFC in surface waters
ranged from 4.4 to 25 ng/L, with the greatest
concentrations observed at location TB5. This location, which was near a sewage effluent on the Haihe
River, exhibited the greatest concentrations of PFOS
and PFOA. The dominant compound of the perfluorinated sulfonates (PFSAs) was PFOS with concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 10 ng/L. Perfluorinated
carboxylates (PFCAs) were dominated by PFOA with
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Table 2 Concentrations of PFC in waters, sediments, and soils from Tianjin coast
Items
PFOS
PFOA
PFHpA
PFNA
PFDA
PFUnA
PFDoA
PFC
Water (ng/L)
TB1
0.74
7.8
0.96
nda
0.22
nd
nd
9.8
TB2
TB3
0.10
2.4
5.0
5.1
0.87
0.61
2.2
nd
2.9
0.27
nd
nd
nd
nd
11
8.4
3.3
6.6
nd
nd
0.32
nd
nd
11
12
0.63
1.6
nd
nd
nd
25
TB4
TB5
10
TB6
1.5
4.4
0.54
nd
0.28
nd
nd
6.7
TB7
1.6
11
2.6
4.9
3.8
nd
nd
24
TB8
0.29
3.0
nd
nd
0.63
nd
nd
4.4
4.4
Sediment (ng/g dw)
TB1
nd
1.5
nd
nd
0.95
1.2
0.81
TB2
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.56
0.42
1.5
nd
nd
nd
nd
1.1
0.42
2.7
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.42
1.5
TB3
TB4
0.94
nd
TB5
4.3
0.81
nd
1.0
0.87
0.55
0.27
7.8
TB6
1.2
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.52
1.9
TB7
0.53
nd
nd
nd
0.44
0.72
0.57
2.8
TB8
2.0
0.94
0.56
nd
2.3
nd
0.38
7.3
1.3
Soil (ng/g dw)
TB1
nd
a
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.94
0.26
TB2
nd
nd
0.10
nd
0.84
nd
0.42
2.5
TB3
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
1.0
0.46
2.0
TB4
4.7
0.63
nd
nd
0.18
0.82
0.61
7.0
TB5
9.4
0.93
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.26
11
TB6
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.57
0.43
1.7
TB7
nd
nd
nd
nd
nd
0.54
0.47
1.3
TB8
nd
nd
0.10
nd
0.29
0.70
0.39
2.1
nd: Less than the limit of quantification
Table 3 Concentrations of PFC (ng/g dw) in biological samples from Tianjin coast (the values in bracket indicate the ranges)
Area
Species
PFOS
PFDA
PFUnA
Hangu
Crucian carp: Carassius auratus
57 (50–65)
1.9 (1.1–2.8)
nd
Swimming crab: Portunus trituberculatus
60 (38–82)
1.5 (1.3–1.8)
nd
Prawn: Penaeus semisulcatus
nd
0.26 (nd–0.42)
nd
Crucian carp: Carassius auratus
100 (59–240)
1.3 (nd–1.8)
nd
Swimming crab: Portunus trituberculatus
11 (nd–18)
0.70 (nd–1.1)
1.6 (nd–2.1)
Prawn: Penaeus semisulcatus
2.8 (nd–4.2)
nd
nd
Crucian carp: Carassius auratus
34 (21–46)
1.7 (1.0–2.1)
nd
Tanggu
Dagang
concentrations ranging from 3.0 to 12 ng/L. In
general, PFOS and PFOA were the predominant
waterborne PFC accounting for about 77% of the
total PFC (Fig. 2). PFHpA, PFDA, and PFNA were
detected in approximately 70% of the samples
analyzed at concentrations greater than the respective
LOQ values. Concentrations of PFHpA, PFDA, and
PFNA ranged from \LOQ to 2.6 ng/L, \LOQ to
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Fig. 2 Compositions of PFC in surface water, sediment, and soil collected from Tianjin coast, China
3.8 ng/L, and \LOQ to 4.9 ng/L, respectively. The
greatest concentrations of PFHpA, PFDA, and PFNA
were all observed at location TB7, on the Duliujian
River in Dagang. This indicates that other PFC, in
addition to PFOS and PFOA, should be considered in
future monitoring and risk assessments.
PFC in sediments
Concentrations of PFC in sediments from TBNA were
generally less than their corresponding MDLs. Total
concentrations of PFC ranged from 1.5 to 7.8 ng/g dw
with a mean of 3.7 ng/g dw. PFDoA was detected in
all samples at concentrations ranging from 0.27 to
0.81 ng/g dw, with a mean of 0.48 ng/g dw. PFOS and
PFOA were observed in fewer samples with concentrations ranging from \LOQ to 4.3 ng/g dw and from
\LOQ to 1.5 ng/g dw, respectively. When both were
detected, concentrations of PFOS were generally
greater than those of PFOA. The greatest concentrations of PFOS (4.3 ng/g dw) and corresponding
greater concentrations of PFOA (0.81 ng/g dw) were
observed in sediments from TB5, which was also an
area where some of the greatest waterborne concentrations were detected.
PFC in soils
Releases of PFC from various sources not only
contaminate water systems but also do soils. Also,
PFC can be released to the atmosphere and then
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precipitated onto soils. PFOS and PFOA can easily
absorb onto sediment and sludge that can be deposited on land (Sinclair and Kannan 2006; Skutlarek
et al. 2006). Thus, soils could be another sink for
PFC. Few studies have previously reported the
occurrence, distribution, sources, and risks of PFC
in soils (Higgins and Luthy 2006; Naile et al. 2010).
In the presented study, PFC concentrations in soils
were generally found to be less than their respective
LOQs. Only 2 sites, TB4 and TB5, exhibited detectable
concentrations of PFOS and PFOA. However, it should
be noted that PFDoA and PFUnA were detected in 100
and 75% of soils, respectively. This was similar to the
rate of detection of PFC in sediments. Total concentrations of PFC were in the range of 1.3–11 ng/g dw
with a mean of 3.5 ng/g dw. Concentrations of PFOS
and PFOA in soils ranged from\LOQ to 9.4 ng/g dw
and from\LOQ to 0.93 ng/g dw, while concentrations
of the other two routinely detected PFC, i.e., PFDoA
and PFUnA, were comparable each other with concentrations ranging from 0.26 to 0.61 ng/g dw and
\LOQ to 1.0 ng/g dw, respectively.
Concentrations of PFC were found to be within
the similar range between soils and sediments. The
greatest concentrations of total PFC (11 ng/g dw),
PFOS (9.4 ng/g dw), and PFOA (0.93 ng/g dw) in
soils were all observed at location TB5, which is also
the location where concentrations were greatest in
both water and sediment. The result indicated that
local sources of certain PFC near TB5 were evident.
In general, however, soils and sediments in TBNA
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Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
307
contain only small amounts of PFC. In terms of
matrix-dependent accumulation of PFC, the results
of the present study were similar to those observed
previously in South Korea (Naile et al. 2010).
PFC in biota
Concentrations of PFC in aquatic animals from the
TBNA are given (Table 3). Only three compounds,
namely PFOS, PFDA, and PFUnA, were detected
in biota. The result was somewhat different from that
of earlier study by Pan et al. (2010), where PFOA
was detected in biota from other areas of China.
Concentrations of PFOS in Crucian carp were 100,
57, and 34 ng/g dw in three subdistricts of TBNA
with a trend of decreasing concentrations of Tanggu [
Hanggu [ Dagang. These concentrations were comparable to those previously reported in China and the
Netherlands (Gulkowska et al. 2006; Kwadijk et al.
2010), but generally less than those observed in South
Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Germany (Taniyasu et al.
2003; Quinete et al. 2009; Becker et al. 2010; Naile
et al. 2010). Concentrations of PFDA in Crucian carp
were not significantly different among districts with
1.9 ng/g dw at Hangu, 1.3 ng/g dw at Tanggu, and
1.7 ng/g dw at Dagang. Concentrations of PFOS in
swimming crab and prawn, respectively, were 60 ng/
g dw and \LOQ at Hangu and 11 and 2.8 ng/g dw at
Tanggu, while concentrations of PFDA, respectively,
were 1.5 and 0.26 ng/g dw at Hangu and 0.70 ng/g
dw and \LOQ at Tanggu. PFUnA was detected
only in prawn from Tanggu with a concentration of
1.6 ng/g dw.
Comparison to other coastal areas
When concentrations of PFC were compared to those
in other coastal industrial areas of China and the
world, concentrations of PFOS in waters from the
TBNA were comparable to or greater than those from
the Dalian coast, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Pearl
River Delta (Table 4) and less than those from the
Yangtze River Estuary and the Nanmen River in
Taiwan. Concentrations of PFOA were generally less
than those reported in previous studies (see references
in Table 4). Significantly greater concentrations of
PFOA were observed in waters from the Shanghai
coast in mainland China and the Nanmen River in
Taiwan. Greater concentrations of PFOS and PFOA
were frequently observed in the densely populated
Table 4 Global comparison of PFOS and PFOA concentrations (ng/L) in waters with other studies in coastal areas
Location
China
Japan
Tianjin coast
Year
PFOS
PFOA
Reference
2008 (May)
0.10–10
3.0–12
Present study
Dalian coast
2006 (Oct)
nd–2.3
0.17–38
Ju et al. (2008)
Shanghai
2005 (Jan)
0.62–14
22–260
So et al. (2007)
Yangze River estuary
2008 (Nov)
42–700
Na
Pan and You (2010)
Pearl River Delta
2003 (Sep)
0.02–12
0.24–16
So et al. (2004)
Hong Kong
2003 (Jun)
0.09–3.1
0.73–5.5
So et al. (2004)
Nanmen River, Taiwan
2009
210–6,100
16–520
Lin et al. (2010)
Tokyo Bay
2004–2006
0.78–17
2.7–63
Sakurai et al. (2010)
Oskas
Yodo River basin
2003 (Apr)
2004–2005
1.5–28
0.40–120
4.5–560
4.2–2,600
Saito et al. (2004)
Lein et al. (2008)
Kyoto
2005 (May)
7.9–110
5.1–10
Senthilkumar et al. (2007)
South Korea
Korea coast
2008 (May)
4.1–450
3.0–69
Naile et al. (2010)
Gyeonggi Bay
2004 (Dec)
2.2–650
0.90–62
Rostkowski et al. (2006)
India
Southern coast
2008 (Feb)
0.05–3.9
0.05–23
Yeung et al. (2009)
Thailand
Chao Phraya River
2006–2007
0.70–18
0.70–64
Kunacheva et al. (2009)
Brazil
Guanabara Bay
2008 (Aug)
0.40–0.92
0.70–3.3
Quinete et al. (2009)
Germany
German bight
2007 (Aug)
0.69–4.0
2.7–7.8
Ahrens et al. (2009)
Poland
Gdansk coast
2005 (May)
nd–19
nd–1.1
Rostkowski et al. (2009)
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308
and/or industrialized zones. Concentrations of PFOS
and PFOA observed in water in the present study
were less than those found in most coastal rivers of
Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, especially in Yodo
River basin in Japan and Gyeonggi Bay of Korea,
while greater than those from the Southern coast of
India, the Guanabara Bay of Brazil, German Bight in
Germany and Gdansk coast of Poland.
Concentrations of PFOS in sediments from TBNA
were similar to those from the Zhujiang River China
(\LOQ to 3.10 ng/g dw) (Bao et al. 2010), but
less than those from the Yangtze River Estuary,
China (72.9–536.7 ng/g dw), Nanman River, Taiwan
(\LOQ to 159 ng/g dw), and Kyoto River, Japan
(\LOQ to 11.0 ng/g dw) (Senthilkumar et al. 2007;
Lin et al. 2010; Pan and You 2010). The maximum
concentration of PFOS in sediments (4.3 ng/g dw)
observed in the present study was greater than
those reported from the Daliao River system, China
(0.37 ng/g dw) (Bao et al. 2009), the Huangpu River,
China (0.46 ng/g dw) (Bao et al. 2010), and the tidal
flat areas of the Ariake Sea, Japan (0.14 ng/g dw)
(Nakata et al. 2006). Concentrations of PFOA in
sediments of this watershed were slightly greater than
or comparable to those of the Daliao River system
(\LOQ to 0.17 ng/g dw), Huangpu River (0.20–0.64
ng/g dw), and Zhujiang River (0.09–0.29 ng/g dw),
China (Bao et al. 2009, 2010), whereas they were less
than those of the Kyoto River (\LOQ to 3.9 ng/g dw)
(Senthilkumar et al. 2007). Concentrations of PFOA
in the present study varied among locations. This
indicates that multiple sources across the estuarine
and coastal areas of the Tianjin Bohai Bay were
present.
Compositions and sources
Samples from the TBNA exhibited different patterns
of relative concentrations of 7 detectable PFC among
water, sediment, and soil (Fig. 2). PFOA was predominant PFC in water, with a composition of 45%
(TB7 and TB2) to 79% (TB1), followed by PFOS
(1–42%), PFDA (0.3–26%), and PFNA (0.1–20%).
Meanwhile, PFOS was the predominant PFC in
sediment and soil, as well as biota, contributing as
much as 62% (TB6) in sediment and 86% (TB5) in
soil. Greater contributions of PFUnA and PFDoA
were observed in sediment ranging from 5.7 to 41%
and 3.5 to 28%, and in soil ranging from 3–72 and
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Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
2–37%, respectively, while concentrations of PFDoA
and PFUnA were less than those of PFOS or PFOA.
This result indicates the existence of potential sources
of PFDoA and PFUnA in the study area.
The ratio of PFOS to PFOA has been applied to
identify potential sources of PFC (So et al. 2004).
The PFOS/PFOA ratios in the present study were
generally less than 1.0, with values ranging from 0.02
(TB2) to 0.87 (TB5) in water. Ratios calculated in our
study were generally consistent with previous findings in Lake Michigan and the Tennessee River in
the United States, and coastal waters of China and
Korea (Hansen et al. 2002; So et al. 2004; Simcik and
Dorweiler 2005). However, the ratios were different
from those reported by Naile et al. (2010) and
Rostkowski et al. (2006), which were typically
greater than 1.0. Simcik and Dorweiler (2005)
described greater concentrations of PFHpA due to
atmospheric deposition to surface waters than from
other sources. Therefore, the ratio of PFHpA to
PFOA was used as a tracer of atmospheric deposition.
This ratio varied among locations with a range of
0.05 (TB5) to 0.24 (TB7) for all water samples, and
the ratio was less than 1.0, but ratios as great as 1.2
were observed in soil at location TB1. The TBNA has
been subjected to anthropogenic influences as a result
of rapid urbanization and industrialization. Thus, the
specific distribution and pattern of relative concentrations of PFC indicates an input from industrial
effluent as well as atmospheric deposition.
Relatively greater concentrations of individual
PFC, especially PFOS, in water, sediment, and soil
from location TB5 might have originated from
tributaries of the Haihe River because the watershed
of Haihe River contains a variety of industries,
including chemical and biochemical products manufacturing, and receives industrial and domestic
discharges mainly from Tianjing and Beijing, which
are urbanized areas of increasing industrial and
commercial activities.
Bioaccumulation and hazard assessment
A BCF defined as the concentration in fish divided
by the concentration in water was determined from
measured concentrations at each location. Concentrations of PFOS in Crucian carp from the Hangu,
Tanggu, and Dagang regions of the TBNA were used
to calculate a district-wide BCF. The mean BCF
Author's personal copy
Environ Geochem Health (2012) 34:301–311
309
Fig. 3 Bioconcentration
factor (BCF) and adverse
effect concentrations of
PFC in water from TBNA,
China. CMC, CCC, and
AWV for PFOS are given,
respectively, represent
criteria maximum
concentration, criteria
continuous concentration,
and avian wildlife value
for fish was 1.2 9 105 with a maximum value of
6.0 9 105 at TB2 and a minimum of 1.0 9 104 at
TB5 with corresponding log BCF values of 4.0–5.8
(Fig. 3). These BCF values were comparable to those
previously reported for the west coast of Korea (log
BCF of 3.2–5.1), the coast of Japan (log BCF of
2.4–4.6), and in Lake Ontario near Toronto, Canada
(log BCF of 3.8–5.1) (Moody et al. 2002; Taniyasu
et al. 2003; Naile et al. 2010), while greater than the
log BCF of 3.0 for a study of rainbow trout conducted
in the laboratory (Martin et al. 2003). This result is
probably due to accumulation from pathways other
than direct accumulation from water. Concentrations
of PFOA were less than the LOQ in all biological
samples. Thus, it can be concluded that PFOA was
not bioaccumulated in biota, which is in agreement
with previously reported studies (Martin et al. 2003;
Quinete et al. 2009; Yeung et al. 2009; Naile et al.
2010).
Since PFC in aquatic media may directly impact the
local ecosystem, a preliminary risk assessment for the
aquatic ecosystem could be performed by comparing
detected PFOS concentrations with the corresponding
water quality benchmark values (Giesy et al. 2010).
Concentrations of PFOS were less than both the criteria
maximum concentration (CMC = 21 lg/L) for acute
exposure and the criteria continuous concentration
(CCC = 5.1 lg/L) for chronic or continuous exposure
for aquatic organisms. Concentrations of PFOS were
also less than the avian wildlife value (AWV = 47 ng/
L) for fish-eating birds (Fig. 3). While the results of
this study indicate little risk, based on concentrations
measured in water, risk of environmental exposure to
PFC cannot be neglected because the accumulation
mechanisms and exposure routes of PFC are different
compared to those of other known POPs. Since
industries such as the semiconductor or optoelectronics
fabricators continue to use PFOS, despite bans on
PFOS use in most consumer products, more toxicological and environmental exposure data would be
required to address the effect of such compound and
class in aquatic environments (Beach et al. 2006).
Acknowledgments This study was supported by the National
Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41071355), the
Environmental Protection Welfare Program (No. 201009032),
the National S&T Support Program (No. 2008BAC32B07),
and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2007
CB407307). The research was partly supported by a Discovery
Grant from the National Science and Engineering Research
Council of Canada (No. 326415-07) and also from the National
Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea Grants funded by the
Korean government (MEST) (Nos. 2009-0067768 & 20100015275). Prof. Giesy was supported by the Canada Research
Chair Program, an at large Chair Professorship at the Department of Biology and Chemistry and State Key Laboratory in
Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, the Einstein
Professor Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and
the Visiting Professor Program of King Saud University.
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