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Perfluoroalkyl substances in soils around the Nepali Koshi River: levels, distribution, and mass balance

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Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were analyzed in surface soils along the Koshi River in Nepal, a typical agricultural country with little industrialization and urbanization. Sixteen target PFASs were quantified in soils from a hilly region in central and eastern Nepal, but only ten PFASs were detected. Concentrations of total PFASs ranged from nd (below the detection limit) to 1.78 ng/g dw. The predominant PFASs in soils were perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoro-butanesulfonate (PFBS) with concentrations that ranged from nd to 0.26 ng/g dw and nd to 0.38 ng/g dw, respectively. Results of mass balance analysis also revealed weak associations among concentrations of PFASs, extractable organic fluorine (EOF), and total fluorine (TF). PFASs were relatively evenly distributed among locations. Due to the absence of direct emission of PFASs and slow development of local industry, PFASs in soils originated mostly from long-range atmospheric transport, consumer use, and disposal of PFASs-containing products. Uncontrolled disposal of domestic waste will be a challenge to controlling concentrations of PFASs in Nepal.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant no. 41171394, the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under grant no. KZZD-EW-TZ-12, and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with grant no. XDB03030504. Portions of the research were supported by a Discovery Grant from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (project no. 326415–07). Professor Giesy was supported by the Canada Research Chair Program. Finally, we would like to thank the editors and reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Bing Tan, Tieyu Wang, Pei Wang, Wei Luo & Yonglong Lu

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, China

    Bing Tan

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of science, Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, 6250, Nepal

    Kumar Y. Romesh

  4. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

    John P. Giesy

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  1. Bing Tan
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Correspondence to Tieyu Wang.

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Responsible editor: Ester Heath

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Tan, B., Wang, T., Wang, P. et al. Perfluoroalkyl substances in soils around the Nepali Koshi River: levels, distribution, and mass balance. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 9201–9211 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2835-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2835-6

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