Sediment-water distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in Yangtze River Estuary

Abstract

Analysis of Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) distribution in water and sediment in Yangtze River Estuary showed that the estuary was a sink for PFOS. Salinity was an important parameter in controlling the sediment-water interactions and the fate or transport of PFOS in the aquatic environment. As the salinity (S per thousand) increased from 0.18 to 3.31, the distribution coefficient (K(d)) between sediment and water linearly increased from 0.76 to 4.70 L g(-1). The study suggests that PFOS may be carried with the river water and transported for long distances before it reaches to the sea and largely scavenged to the sediment in the estuaries due to the dramatic change in salinity.