Perfluorinated compounds in soil, surface water, and groundwater from rural areas in eastern China

Little research on perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) has been conducted in rural areas, although rural PFC sources are less complicated than in urban and industrial areas. To determine the levels and geographical distribution of 17 PFC compounds, samples of soil, surface water, and groundwater were collected from eight rural areas in eastern China. The total PFC concentrations (∑PFCs) in soils ranged from 0.34 to 65.8 ng/g ∑PFCs in surface waters ranged from 7.0 to 489 ng/L and ∑PFCs in groundwater ranged from 5.3 to 615 ng/L. Ratios of perfluorononanoic acid/perfluorooctanoic acid (PFNA/PFOA), perfluoro-n-butyric acid/perfluorooctanoic acid (PFBA/PFOA), and perfluoroheptanoic acid/perfluorooctanoic acid (PFHpA/PFOA) in rainwater increased due to the fluorine chemical plants in the surrounding rural and urban areas, suggesting that atmospheric precipitation may carry PFCs and their precursors from the fluorochemical industrial area to the adjacent rural areas. - Highlights: • PFCs were widely detected, although at low levels, in soil from rural areas in eastern China. • PFC levels in the surface waters were generally higher in the sections south of the Yangtze River. • Atmospheric precipitation may carry PFCs from the fluorochemical industrial area to the adjacent rural areas. - Soil, surface water, and groundwater from rural areas in eastern China were analyzed for perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and sources of PFCs were discussed.