Fate and redistribution of perfluoroalkyl acids through AFFF-impacted groundwater
Abstract
Leaching of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) from a local point source, a fire-fighting training area, has led to extensive contamination of a groundwater aquifer which has spread underneath part of a nearby town, Oakey, situated in the State of Queensland, Australia. Groundwater is extracted by residents from privately owned wells for daily activities such as watering livestock and garden beds. The concentration of 10 PFAAs in environmental and biological samples (water, soil, grass, chicken egg yolk, serum of horses, cattle and sheep), as well as human serum was investigated to determine the extent of contamination in the town and discuss fate and redistribution of PFAAs. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the dominant PFAA in all matrices investigated, followed by perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS). PFOS concentrations measured in water ranged between <0.17-14μg/L, concentrations of PFHxS measured between <0.07-6μg/L. PFAAs were detected in backyards (soil, grass), livestock and chicken egg yolk. Significant differences (p<0.01) in PFOS and PFHxS concentrations in two groups of cattle were found, one held within the contamination plume, the other in the vicinity but outside of the contamination plume. In human serum PFOS concentrations ranged from 38 to 381μg/L, while PFHxS ranged from 39 to 214μg/L. Highest PFOS concentrations measured in human serum were >30-fold higher compared to the general Australian population. Through use of contaminated groundwater secondary sources of PFAA contamination are created on private property, leading to further redistribution of contamination and creation of additional human exposure pathways.
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Most past research on PFAS has focused on sites with substantial contamination, including wastewater treatment facilities, landfills, and military and airport sites.
“Most past research has focused on sites with substantial PFAS contamination, including wastewater treatment facilities [21,22], landfills [21], and military and airport sites [22].”
Bräunig et al. (2017) reported PFOS and PFOA near firefighting training areas in Oakey, Queensland, Australia, with concentrations ranging from 170 to 14,000 ng L−1 and 50-600 ng L−1, respectively.
“Bräunig et al. (2017) also reported the occurrence of PFOS and PFOA near firefighting training areas in Oakey, a town in Queensland, Australia, with concentrations ranging from 170 to 14,000 ng L−1 and 50–600 ng L−1, respectively.”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A critical review of their global occurrence and distribution (2022) · cites this paper as Bräunig et al., 2017
The occurrence of novel PFAS such as PFBS, PFECA, and PFESA has been reported in surface water and groundwater in China, the USA, the UK, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and Korea.
“The occurrence of novel PFAS such as PFBS, PFECA, and PFESA has also been reported in surface water and groundwater in China, the USA, the UK, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and Korea (Bräunig et al., 2017; Pan et al., 2018; Marchiandi et al., 2021).”
From Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater: A critical review of their global occurrence and distribution (2022) · cites this paper as Bräunig et al., 2017
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- Authors
- Bräunig, J., Baduel, C., Heffernan, A., Rotander, A., Donaldson, E., & Mueller, J. F.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bräunig, Jennifer
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-10
- Volume
- 596-597
- Pages
- 360-368
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2607117408
- Cited by
- 199
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 7.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Queensland
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Chemical Analysis and Environmental Impact
- Keywords
- perfluoroalkyl acids, PFOS, PFHxS, groundwater contamination, livestock exposure, chicken egg yolk, soil contamination, human exposure pathways
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