Perfluoroalkyl substance contamination of the Llobregat River ecosystem (Mediterranean area, NE Spain)
Abstract
The occurrence and sources of 21 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs: C4-C14, C16, C18 carboxylate, C4, C6-C8 and C10 sulfonates and C8 sulfonamide) were determined in water, sediment, and biota of the Llobregat River basin (NE Spain). Analytes were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE) and determined by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-QqQ-MS). All samples were contaminated with at least one PFAS, being the most frequently found perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (L-PFOS). In general, mean PFAS concentrations measured in sediments (0.01-3.67 ng g(-1)) and biota (0.79-431 μg kg(-1)) samples were higher than those found in water (0.01-233 ng L(-1)). L-PFOS presented very high levels in biota and water, particularly in the Anoia River where a maximum concentration of 2.71 μg L(-1) was related to important industrial activities. However, this pollution does not extend down the Llobregat River according to cumulated values. None of the hazard quotients (HQ) calculated indicate potential risk for the different tropic levels considered (algae, Daphnia sp. and fish). According to Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) proposed by the European Commission (L-PFOS) and to Provisional Health Advisory (PHA) values (PFOA, L-PFOS) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), only two water samples exceeded PHA concentration for L-PFOS.
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In the Llobregat River ecosystem, PFAS concentrations in water, sediments, and aquatic biota were measured at 0.01-233 ng/L, 0.01-3.67 ng/g, and 0.79-431 μg/kg, respectively.
“In the Llobregat River ecosystem in northeastern Spain, PFAS concentrations in water, sediments, and aquatic biota were measured at 0.01–233 ng L−1, 0.01–3.67 ng g−1, and 0.79–431 μg kg−1, respectively (Campo et al., 2015).”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A critical review of their global occurrence and distribution (2022) · cites this paper as Campo et al., 2015
Higher concentrations of PFAS in aquatic biota samples suggest that bioaccumulation pathways in the Llobregat River are similar to those observed in the Jucar River.
“The higher concentrations of PFAS in aquatic biota samples suggest that bioaccumulation pathways in the Llobregat River are similar to those observed in Jucar River (Campo et al., 2016, 2015).”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A critical review of their global occurrence and distribution (2022) · cites this paper as Campo et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Campo, J., Pérez, F., Masiá, A., Picó, Y., Farré, M. L., & Barceló, D.
- Affiliations
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- Universitat de València (ES)
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-01
- Volume
- 503-504
- Pages
- 48-57
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2073244193
- Cited by
- 124
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 7.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSD-665-2009, CGL2011-29703-C02-02)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Keywords
- perfluorinated compounds, PFAS contamination, Llobregat River, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOS, hazard quotient, maximum permissible concentration, industrial pollution, river pollution, trophic levels
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Caprylates, Daphnia, Environmental Monitoring, Fishes, Fluorocarbons, Spain, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Ecosystem, Geologic Sediments, Rivers, Solid Phase Extraction
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