Thirteen different types of PFAS, nearly half of them coming from textile treatments and food packaging, have been found along the full length of Asia's longest river, the Yangtze.
- The study, led by a specialist in emerging contaminants at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland tested sediments at 38 sites along the 6,300 km-long Yangtze river for 15 types of PFAS.
- The paper has been published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
THE RESEARCH: The study was carried out alongside specialists at Wuhan University of Technology, where the report’s main author Prof Zulin Zhang is also an adjunct professor, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Wuhan Botanical Garden).
- The researchers found that the urbanisation and wealth of an area also appeared to impact PFAS concentrations, with significantly higher levels of the chemicals found in the lower reaches of the Yangtze close to areas of developed industry.
- Levels of organic carbon, nitrogen and the grain size of sediment were also shown to impact PFAS distribution, suggesting these factors could affect how much PFAS builds up in river sediment.
THE OTHER FINDINGS: Following textile treatment and food packaging, the next most common source of the chemicals was metal electroplating (26.8%), where PFAS are used in the chrome plating process.
- Fluoropolymer products (16.3%) and coatings (7.4%), used in everything from wiring to coating frying pans or aerospace components, were also identified as significant sources.
WHAT THEY SAID:
We are still very much understanding the spread and impact of PFAS on the environment. Testing a river as long as the Yangtze, the world's third-longest river, is quite a unique opportunity to widen our understanding. This study will help to understand PFAS contamination along the full length of the Yangtze, its sources, where it goes and the potential risks, to help inform potential control measures. Our risk assessment found that the levels of PFAS detected in the Yangtze posed low to medium ecological risks, which points to a need for continuous ongoing monitoring and concern.
— Professor Zulin Zhang
Senior Research Scientist
James Hutton Institute
