Assessment on the distribution and partitioning of perfluorinated compounds in the water and sediment of Nansi Lake, China

In this study, the distribution and partitioning of nine perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the water and sediment of Nansi Lake were systematically investigated. The total concentration of PFCs was in the range of 38.4-91.4 ng/L in the water and 0.47-1.81 ng/g in the sediment. The concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the highest in all the homologues in the water and was in the range of 34.9-84.6 ng/L. However, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), PFOA, and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) were the predominant PFCs in the sediment, and their levels were similar. The levels of PFOA, PFHpA, PFOS, PFNA, and the total PFCs in the water were relatively higher in the upper region than those in the lower region of Nansi Lake. In the sediment, the levels of PFOA, PFOS, and PFUnDA showed the similar distribution tendency. Industrial wastewater discharged from the cities around Nansi Lake was the main sources of PFCs. The partitioning coefficients (K-d) of PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, and PFOS were in the range of 0.29-0.87, 1.43-2.18, 2.08-3.15, and 2.20-2.80, respectively. Therefore, the log K-d of PFDA and PFOS was apparently high as compared to two other compounds. The organic matter content of the sediment had no effect on the partitioning of PFCs between sediment and water in Nansi Lake.