AI Article Synopsis
- The study assessed long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in sewage sludges from 20 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), using both current and historic samples.
- A quantitative method was created for analyzing the chemicals, revealing perfluoralkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) in concentrations of 14 to 50 μg/kg dry matter, and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) levels ranging from 15 to 600 μg/kg dry matter.
- Notably, three WWTPs showed PFOS concentrations six to nine times higher than others, with no correlation to PFCAs, suggesting unique local sources for PFOS, while average levels from previous
Article Abstract
This study focused on the occurrence of long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in anaerobically stabilized sewage sludges from 20 municipal WWTPs using current and historic samples to evaluate the levels of PFCs and to identify the relative importance of commercial and industrial sources. A quantitative analytical method was developed based on solvent extraction of the analytes and a LC-MS/MS system. For total perfluoralkyl carboxylates (PFCAs), the concentrations ranged from 14 to 50 μg/kg dry matter. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) ranged from 15 to 600 μg/kg dry matter. In three WWTPs, the PFOS levels were six to nine times higher than the average values measured in the other plants. These elevated PFOS concentrations did not correlate with higher levels of PFCAs, indicating specific additional local sources for PFOS at these WWTPs. Average concentrations in selected samples from the years 1993, 2002, and 2008 did not change significantly.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2010.09.020 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!