Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry· 2026Q1
Pollution characteristics, source analysis, and risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances of Kui River
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread in Kui River surface water (241.83-700.09 ng·L-1), with PFOA being the dominant pollutant, especially in the dry season. While ecological risks are generally low, combined PFAS exposure presents a moderate health hazard.
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Key points
- PFAS are ubiquitous in Kui River surface water, with ΣPFAS concentrations ranging from 241.83 to 700.09 ng·L-1.
- PFOA, PFBA, and PFHxA are the main PFAS pollutants, with average concentrations of 188.47, 124.62, and 127.26 ng·L-1, respectively.
- PFAS composition varies seasonally, with PFBA dominating in the wet season and PFOA in the dry season.
- Sources of PFAS pollution include food packaging, surfactant production, plastics, and metal plating/textiles.
- While individual PFAS pose low ecological and health risks, the combined exposure (HQmix) exceeds 0.1 for all age groups, indicating a moderate health hazard.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
To investigate the pollution distribution characteristics and ecological risk levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the surface water of the Kui River, this study tested 17 PFAS in the surface water and analyzed their pollution levels in the local aquatic environment. Results showed PFAS were ubiquitous in the Kui River, with ΣPFAS concentrations ranging from 241.83 to 700.09 ng·L-1. The main pollutants were perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), with average concentrations of 124.62, 127.26, and 188.47 ng·L-1, respectively. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) composition had distinct seasonal variations: PFBA dominated in the wet season, while PFOA prevailed in the dry season. Principal component analysis indicated PFAS pollution mainly originated from food packaging, surfactant production, plastics, and metal plating/textiles. Ecological risk assessment showed most PFAS posed low risks; only PFOA had low risk at all dry-season sampling sites, and mixture Risk Quotient (RQmix) posed a general low-level risk. Health risk assessment found Hazard Quotient (HQ) values of seven PFAS for all age groups ranged from 1.36E-4 to 0.247. PFOA exposure had HQ > 0.1 (low hazard), while the other six showed no significant hazard. However, HQmix exceeded 0.1 for all four age groups, indicating adverse health effects. Future attention should focus on the management of dynamic PFAS sources and the combined risk posed by PFAS mixtures in the Kui River.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2026 · DOI ↗
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