Mass Balance of Perfluorinated Alkyl Acids in a Pristine Boreal Catchment

Abstract

Mass balances of ten individual perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) in two nested pristine catchments in Northern Sweden with different sizes and hydrological functions were assembled for 2011-2012. Concentrations of PFAAs in rain and snowmelt, as well as in streamwater at the outlet of the two watersheds were measured and used to calculate PFAA atmospheric inputs to and riverine outputs from the catchments. The results generally showed a great excess of PFAA inputs for both catchments over the whole study year. However, during the spring flood period, the inputs and outputs were within a factor of 2 for several PFAAs and the streamwater showed PFAA patterns resembling the patterns in rain (as opposed to snowmelt), suggesting that snowmelt water infiltrating the ground had displaced water from the previous summer. Comparison of PFAA mass balances between the two catchments further suggested that atmospheric inputs of short-chain (replacement) perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids had increased in the years before sampling, while inputs of the legacy perfluorooctane sulfonic acid had decreased. Overall, the mass balances indicate that a considerable portion of the PFAAs deposited from the atmosphere are stored in soil and may be released to surface and marine water environments in the future.

Published in

Environmental Science and Technology
2015, volume: 49, number: 20, pages: 12127-12135
Publisher: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

SLU Authors

• Laudon, Hjalmar

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Future Forests

Global goals (SDG)

SDG3 Good health and well-being
SDG6 Clean water and sanitation

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b03403

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/69114