Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in river discharge: Modeling loads upstream and downstream of a PFAS manufacturing plant in the Cape Fear watershed, North Carolina
Open accessAbstract
The Cape Fear River is an important source of drinking water in North Carolina, and many drinking water intakes in the watershed are affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We quantified PFAS concentrations and loads in river water upstream and downstream of a PFAS manufacturing plant that has been producing PFAS since 1980. River samples collected from September 2018 to February 2021 were analyzed for 13 PFAS at the upstream station and 43–57 PFAS downstream near Wilmington. Frequent PFAS sampling (daily to weekly) was conducted close to gauging stations (critical to load estimation), and near major drinking water intakes (relevant to human exposure). Perfluoroalkyl acids dominated upstream while fluoroethers associated with the plant made up about 47% on average of the detected PFAS downstream. Near Wilmington, Σ43PFAS concentration averaged 143 ng/L (range 40–377) and Σ43PFAS load averaged 3440 g/day (range 459–17,300), with 17–88% originating from the PFAS plant. LOADEST was a useful tool in quantifying individual and total quantified PFAS loads downstream, however, its use was limited at the upstream station where PFAS levels in the river were affected by variable inputs from a wastewater treatment plant. Long-term monitoring of PFAS concentrations is warranted, especially at the downstream station. Results suggest a slight downward trend in PFAS levels downstream, as indicated by a decrease in flow-weighted mean concentrations and the best-fitting LOADEST model. However, despite the cessation of PFAS process wastewater discharge from the plant in November 2017, and the phase-out of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in North America, both fluoroethers and legacy PFAS continue to reach the river in significant quantities, reflecting groundwater discharge to the river and other continuing inputs. Persistence of PFAS in surface water and drinking water supplies suggests that up to 1.5 million people in the Cape Fear watershed might be exposed.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Evaluation of PFAS loads from different sources in a stream can be challenging in systems with wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs that produce subdaily fluctuations in load and systems underlain by heavily pumped fractured rock aquifers.
“Evaluation of PFAS loads from different sources in a stream can be challenging in systems with wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs that produce subdaily fluctuations in load 12 and systems underlain by heavily pumped fractured rock aquifers.11”
From Using a Time-of-Travel Sampling Approach to Quantify Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Stream Loading and Source Inputs in a Mixed-Source, Urban Catchment (2024) · cites this paper as [12]
Section 3.3 (page unavailable) reports that PFAS input from a wastewater treatment plant varied across sampling days and that this variability complicated load estimation. It does not establish subdaily fluctuations. The fractured-rock-aquifer clause carries a different citation and is not attributed to this paper. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPFAS are emerging contaminants previously measured in North Carolina surface waters downstream from various sources: wastewater treatment plants, urban development, and fields where municipal biosolids were applied.
“PFAS are emerging contaminants previously measured in North Carolina surface waters downstream from various sources: wastewater treatment plants, urban development, and fields where municipal biosolids were applied.30”
From Integrating Contaminant Source Indicators, Water Quality Measures, and Ecotoxicity to Characterize Contaminant Mixtures and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Variability in an Urban Watershed (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
Section 3.1.1 reports PFAS in the Haw River downstream of a wastewater treatment plant and in Cane Creek, where runoff from areas treated with PFAS-contaminated biosolids is suggested as a possible source. The Introduction discusses PFAS in urban watersheds, but the paper does not identify urban development as a distinct source in the North Carolina waters it measured or specify that the biosolids were municipal. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe targeted PFAS compounds are commonly found in textiles, firefighting foams, or consumer products.
“The targeted compounds are commonly found in textiles, firefighting foams, or consumer products,30 and have been considered for state and federal United States drinking water regulations.31”
From Integrating Contaminant Source Indicators, Water Quality Measures, and Ecotoxicity to Characterize Contaminant Mixtures and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Variability in an Urban Watershed (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
The Introduction identifies industries, wastewater treatment plants, and military bases as PFAS sources in surface water, while §3.1.2 lists the PFAS compounds targeted in the river samples. Neither those passages nor searches for textiles, firefighting foams, and consumer products establish that the targeted compounds are commonly found in those products. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(2008) · Encyclopedia of Epidemiology · doi:10.4135/9781412953948.n305 · Cited by 1,341 · see citing works
Hu, X. C., Andrews, D. Q., Lindstrom, A. B., Bruton, T. A., Schaider, L. A., Grandjean, P., Lohmann, R., Carignan, C. C., Blum, A., Balan, S. A., et al. (2016) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00260 · Cited by 1,333 · see citing works
Rahman, M. F., Peldszus, S., & Anderson, W. B. (2014) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2013.10.045 · Cited by 1,022 · see citing works
Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers
Runkel, R. L., Crawford, C. G., & Cohn, T. A. (2004) · Techniques and methods · doi:10.3133/tm4a5 · Cited by 936 · see citing works
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Dieter, C. A., Maupin, M. A., Caldwell, R. R., Harris, M. A., Ivahnenko, T. I., Lovelace, J. K., Barber, N. L., & Linsey, K. S. (2018) · U.S. Geological Survey circular/U.S. Geological Survey Circular · doi:10.3133/cir1441 · Cited by 760 · see citing works
Sun, M., Arevalo, E., Strynar, M., Lindstrom, A., Richardson, M., Kearns, B., Pickett, A., Smith, C., & Knappe, D. R. U. (2016) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00398 · Cited by 688 · see citing works
Self-citationMicrobial degradation of polyfluoroalkyl chemicals in the environment: A review
Liu, J., & Mejia Avendaño, S. (2013) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2013.08.022 · Cited by 525 · see citing works
Crone, B. C., Speth, T. F., Wahman, D. G., Smith, S. J., Abulikemu, G., Kleiner, E. J., & Pressman, J. G. (2019) · Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology · doi:10.1080/10643389.2019.1614848 · Cited by 408 · see citing works
Sharma, B. M., Bharat, G. K., Tayal, S., Larssen, T., Bečanová, J., Karásková, P., Whitehead, P. G., Futter, M. N., Butterfield, D., & Nizzetto, L. (2016) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2015.10.050 · Cited by 353 · see citing works
Bai, X., & Son, Y. (2021) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141622 · Cited by 307 · see citing works
Recently Detected Drinking Water Contaminants: GenX and Other Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Acids
Hopkins, Z. R., Sun, M., DeWitt, J. C., & Knappe, D. R. U. (2018) · Journal AWWA · doi:10.1002/awwa.1073 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
Self-citationKotlarz, N., McCord, J., Collier, D., Lea, C. S., Strynar, M., Lindstrom, A. B., Wilkie, A. A., Islam, J. Y., Matney, K., Tarte, P., et al. (2020) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp6837 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Self-citationRiverine Discharge of Perfluorinated Carboxylates from the European Continent
McLachlan, M. S., Holmström, K. E., Reth, M., & Berger, U. (2007) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es071471p · Cited by 258 · see citing works
Estimation of suspended-sediment rating curves and mean suspended-sediment loads
Crawford, C. G. (1991) · Journal of Hydrology · doi:10.1016/0022-1694(91)90057-o · Cited by 244 · see citing works
A Map of European Emissions and Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA
Pistocchi, A., & Loos, R. (2009) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es901246d · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Wang, Q., Tsui, M. M. P., Ruan, Y., Lin, H., Zhao, Z., Ku, J. P. H., Sun, H., & Lam, P. K. S. (2019) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.162 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Pétré, M.-A., Genereux, D. P., Koropeckyj-Cox, L., Knappe, D. R. U., Duboscq, S., Gilmore, T. E., & Hopkins, Z. R. (2021) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c07978 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Self-citationPerfluorinated Compounds in the Cape Fear Drainage Basin in North Carolina
Nakayama, S., Strynar, M. J., Helfant, L., Egeghy, P., Ye, X., & Lindstrom, A. B. (2007) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es070792y · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Zhang, X., Lohmann, R., Dassuncao, C., Hu, X. C., Weber, A. K., Vecitis, C. D., & Sunderland, E. M. (2016) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00255 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Guillette, T. C., McCord, J., Guillette, M., Polera, M. E., Rachels, K. T., Morgeson, C., Kotlarz, N., Knappe, D. R. U., Reading, B. J., Strynar, M., et al. (2020) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105358 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Self-citationD’Ambro, E. L., Pye, H. O. T., Bash, J. O., Bowyer, J., Allen, C., Efstathiou, C., Gilliam, R. C., Reynolds, L., Talgo, K., & Murphy, B. N. (2021) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c06580 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Nguyen, M. A., Wiberg, K., Ribéli, E., Josefsson, S., Futter, M., Gustavsson, J., & Ahrens, L. (2017) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2016.10.089 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Herkert, N. J., Merrill, J., Peters, C., Bollinger, D., Zhang, S., Hoffman, K., Ferguson, P. L., Knappe, D. R. U., & Stapleton, H. M. (2020) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00004 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Self-citationRating curve estimation of nutrient loads in Iowa rivers
Stenback, G. A., Crumpton, W. G., Schilling, K. E., & Helmers, M. J. (2010) · Journal of Hydrology · doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.11.006 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Large Biases in Regression‐Based Constituent Flux Estimates: Causes and Diagnostic Tools
Hirsch, R. M. (2014) · JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association · doi:10.1111/jawr.12195 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Joerss, H., Schramm, T.-R., Sun, L., Guo, C., Tang, J., & Ebinghaus, R. (2020) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115567 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Zhao, Z., Xie, Z., Tang, J., Sturm, R., Chen, Y., Zhang, G., & Ebinghaus, R. (2015) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.050 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Labadie, P., & Chevreuil, M. (2011) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.07.028 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Spatial distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids in the Pearl River of Southern China
Zhang, Y., Lai, S., Zhao, Z., Liu, F., Chen, H., Zou, S., Xie, Z., & Ebinghaus, R. (2013) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.07.060 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Munoz, G., Fechner, L. C., Geneste, E., Pardon, P., Budzinski, H., & Labadie, P. (2018) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-016-8051-9 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Schmidt, N., Fauvelle, V., Castro-Jiménez, J., Lajaunie-Salla, K., Pinazo, C., Yohia, C., & Sempéré, R. (2019) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110491 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Sun, M. H., Lopez-Velandia, C., & Knappe, D. R. U. (2016) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b05875 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationPFASs in Finnish Rivers and Fish and the Loading of PFASs to the Baltic Sea
Junttila, V., Vähä, E., Perkola, N., Räike, A., Siimes, K., Mehtonen, J., Kankaanpää, H., & Mannio, J. (2019) · Water · doi:10.3390/w11040870 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Allinson, M., Yamashita, N., Taniyasu, S., Yamazaki, E., & Allinson, G. (2019) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02472 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
An evaluation of methods for computing annual water-quality loads
Lee, C. J., Hirsch, R. M., & Crawford, C. G. (2019) · Scientific investigations report · doi:10.3133/sir20195084 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Brittany, S., Shimizu, M. S., Garcia, R. I. S., Avery, G. B., Kieber, R. J., Mead, R. N., & Skrabal, S. A. (2020) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128359 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Kim, S. (2012) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.07.016 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Harfmann, J. L., Tito, K., Kieber, R. J., Avery, G. B., Mead, R. N., Shimizu, M. S., & Skrabal, S. A. (2021) · ACS Earth and Space Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00323 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Kotlarz, N., McCord, J. P., Collier, D. N., Lea, C. S., Strynar, M. J., Lindstrom, A. B., Wilkie, A. A., Islam, J. Y., Matney, K., Tarte, P., et al. (2020) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp7962 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Ehsan, M. N., Riza, M., Pervez, M. N., Khyum, M. M. O., Liang, Y., & Naddeo, V. (2023) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163123 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Yu, Y., Wang, Z., Yao, B. W., & Zhou, Y. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171388 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Yu, F., Wu, J., Wang, H., Bao, Y., Xing, H., Ye, W., Li, X., & Huang, M. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175000 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Kirkwood-Donelson, K. I., Dodds, J., Schnetzer, A., Hall, N. S., & Baker, E. S. (2023) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adj7048 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
70 analyte PFAS test method highlights need for expanded testing of PFAS in drinking water
Pelch, K. E., McKnight, T., & Reade, A. (2023) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162978 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Hall, S., Zhang, S., Tait, G. H., Hoffman, K., Collier, D. N., Hoppin, J. A., & Stapleton, H. M. (2023) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165091 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationRekik, H., Arab, H., Pichon, L., Khakani, M. A. E., & Drogui, P. (2024) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142044 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Villeneuve, D. L., Blackwell, B. R., Cavallin, J. E., Collins, J., Hoang, J. X., Hofer, R. N., Houck, K. A., Jensen, K. M., Kahl, M. D., Kutsi, R. N., et al. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.2c09315 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Lohmann, R., Abass, K. M., Bonefeld‐Jørgensen, E. C., Bossi, R., Dietz, R., Ferguson, S. H., Fernie, K. J., Grandjean, P., Herzke, D., Houde, M., et al. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176274 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Chiriac, F. L., Pirvu, F., Paun, I. C., & Petre, V. A. (2023) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164576 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Forster, A. L. B., Geiger, T. C., Pansari, G. O., Justen, P. T., & Richardson, S. D. (2024) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2024.121570 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Simplifying Nontargeted Analysis of PFAS in Complex Food Matrixes
Kaufmann, A., Butcher, P., Maden, K., Walker, S., & Widmer, M. (2022) · Journal of AOAC International · doi:10.1093/jaoacint/qsac071 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Adewuyi, A., & Li, Q. (2024) · Eco-Environment & Health · doi:10.1016/j.eehl.2024.05.008 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Li, H., Zhu, X., Zhang, J., Wang, Z.-Y., & Li, R.-F. (2023) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120528 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Directly Fluorinated Containers as a Source of Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic Acids
Whitehead, H. D., & Peaslee, G. F. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00083 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Peixoto-Rodrigues, M. C., Monteiro-Neto, J. R., Téglás, T., Toborek, M. J., Quinete, N., Hauser‐Davis, R. A., & Adesse, D. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136832 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
PFAS River Export Analysis Highlights the Urgent Need for Catchment-Scale Mass Loading Data
Byrne, P., Mayes, W. M., James, A. L., Comber, S., Biles, E., Riley, A. L., & Runkel, R. L. (2024) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00017 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Zhu, X., Li, H., Luo, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, Z.-Y., Yang, W.-Y., & Li, R.-F. (2024) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2024.121675 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
PFAS: The Journey from Wonder Chemicals to Environmental Nightmares and the Search for Solutions
Perera, D. C., & Meegoda, J. N. (2024) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app14198611 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Rock, K. D., Polera, M. E., Guillette, T. C., Starnes, H. M., Dean, K., Watters, M., Stevens-Stewart, D., & Belcher, S. M. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c01146 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Siegel, H. G., Nason, S. L., Warren, J. L., Prunas, O., Deziel, N. C., & Saiers, J. E. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.3c05192 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Barber, L. B., Miller, S. A., Blaney, L. M., Bradley, P. M., Faunce, K. E., Fleck, J. A., Frick, M., He, K. F., Hollins, R. D., Lewellyn, C., et al. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c12167 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Embryonic exposure to PFAS causes long-term, compound-specific behavioral alterations in zebrafish
Hawkey, A. B., Mead, M., Natarajan, S., Gondal, A., Jarrett, O., & Levin, E. D. (2023) · Neurotoxicology and Teratology · doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2023.107165 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
bin Ibrahim, M., Li, Y., Danjaji, H. A., & Wang, Y. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · doi:10.1007/s13762-024-06256-6 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Ehsan, M. N., Riza, M., Pervez, M. N., & Liang, Y. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology · doi:10.1007/s13762-024-05851-x · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Weed, R. A., Campbell, G., Brown, L., May, K., Sargent, D., Sutton, E., Burdette, K., Rider, W., Baker, E. S., & Enders, J. R. (2024) · Toxics · doi:10.3390/toxics12060403 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Merrill, A. K., Sobolewski, M., & Susiarjo, M. (2023) · Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.mce.2023.112031 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Assessing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Fish Fillet Using Non-Targeted Analyses
Boatman, A. K., Chappel, J. R., Polera, M. E., Dodds, J. N., Belcher, S. M., & Baker, E. S. (2024) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c04299 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Dong, Z., Ji, G., Wang, F., & Wang, F. (2025) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2025.118145 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Chang, N. Y., Eichler, C. M. A., Hubal, E. A. C., Surratt, J. D., Morrison, G., & Turpin, B. J. (2024) · Environmental Science Processes & Impacts · doi:10.1039/d4em00525b · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Dodds, J. N., Ford, L. C., Ryan, J. P., Solosky, A. M., Rusyn, I., & Baker, E. S. (2025) · Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry · doi:10.1021/jasms.5c00056 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Zhang, H., Chen, Y., Liu, Y., Bowden, J. A., Townsend, T. G., & Solo-Gabriele, H. M. (2024) · Waste Management · doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2023.12.027 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Vu, J. P., McLamb, F., Feng, Z., Griffin, L., Gong, S., Shea, D., Szuch, M. A., Scott, S. J., Gersberg, R. M., & Bozinovic, G. (2023) · NeuroToxicology · doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2023.05.005 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Roy, J. W., Propp, V. R., Hua, T., Brown, S. J., Brinovcar, C., Smith, J. E., & Silva, A. O. D. (2025) · Environmental Science Processes & Impacts · doi:10.1039/d4em00612g · Cited by 15 · see citing works
What do emerging PFAS tell us that the classic ones did not? Insights from in vitro assays
Cunha, M., Bortot, C., Santovito, G., Nardi, A., Soares, A. M. V. M., Gil, A. M., & Freitas, R. (2025) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118490 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Carberry, C. K., Bangma, J., Koval, L. E., Keshava, D., Hartwell, H. J., Sokolsky‐Papkov, M., Fry, R. C., & Rager, J. E. (2023) · Toxicological Sciences · doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfad108 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Woodward, E. E., Senior, L. A., Fleck, J. A., Barber, L. B., Hansen, A. M., & Duris, J. W. (2024) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.4c00288 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Medon, B., Pautler, B. G., Sweett, A., Roberts, J., Risacher, F. F., D’Agostino, L. A., Conder, J., Gauthier, J. R., Mabury, S. A., Patterson, A. D., et al. (2023) · Environmental Science Processes & Impacts · doi:10.1039/d2em00483f · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Dodds, J. N., Kirkwood‐Donelson, K. I., Boatman, A. K., Knappe, D. R. U., Hall, N. S., Schnetzer, A., & Baker, E. S. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174574 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationSardiña, P., Sharp, S., Saaristo, M., Coggan, T., Hoak, M., & Leahy, P. (2024) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125272 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
PFAS contamination and its rising toll on food security: A hidden global threat
Ohoro, C. R., & Ngole-Jeme, V. M. (2025) · Food Control · doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111611 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Xi, L., Wang, Q., Li, Q., Wang, Y., Tian, Y., He, A., Chen, Y., & Si, S. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133808 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Akbari, E., Shah, T., Nazaruk, K., Suri, R., Conkle, J. L., & Andaluri, G. (2025) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/s11270-025-07835-0 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Wang, J., Tsogbadrakh, O., Tian, J., Hai, F. I., Lyu, C., Jiang, G., & Zhu, G. (2025) · Water · doi:10.3390/w17152246 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Leuthner, T. C., Zhang, S., Kohrn, B. F., Stapleton, H. M., & Baugh, L. R. (2025) · Toxicological Sciences · doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfaf014 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationTracking environmental contamination from multiple sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Carlson, G. L., & Andersen, M. (2025) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.121470 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Orenibi, E., Illés, Á., Sandil, S., Endrédi, A., Szekeres, J., Dobosy, P., & Záray, G. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136820 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Hossain, M. M., Nawaz, M. Z., Dar, M. A., Geng, A., Alghamdi, H. A., Han, S. Y., & Zhu, D. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances · doi:10.1016/j.hazadv.2024.100579 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
The role of DOM on the allocation of PFASs between water and sediment within a river system
Xie, Y., Jiang, L., Mei, W., Tang, J., Li, J., & Luo, C. (2025) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127350 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Faught, P. W., Shojaei, M., Joyce, A. S., & Ferguson, P. L. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.5c01014 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citationImproved export coefficient model for identification of watershed environmental risk areas
Wang, M., Duan, L., Bai, Y., Peng, J., Wang, Y., & Zheng, B. (2022) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-022-24499-z · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Miller, A. J., Kleemann, K., Glüge, J., Lohmann, R., Cousins, I. T., Herzke, D., Miller, M. F., Rensmo, A., Trier, X., Wang, Z., et al. (2026) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c18001 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Zhu, J., Pan, Y., Zhang, Z., Zhu, Y., Zhong, Y., Zhu, ⎜., & Ma, Y. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c08686 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Swimming with PFAS in public and private pools
Martinez, B., Robey, N. M., da Silva, B. F., Ditz, H. L., Sobczak, W. J., Quiñones, K. Y. D., & Bowden, J. A. (2022) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136765 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Byrne, P., Mayes, W. M., James, A., Comber, S. D. W., Biles, E., Riley, A. L., Verplanck, P. L., & Bradley, L. (2025) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180502 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Occurrence, Risk Assessment, and Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Aquatic Environment
Lin, X., Shao, B., & Xu, J. (2025) · Water · doi:10.3390/w17111657 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Zhou, Y., Chang, Y., Zhang, D., & Li, W. (2025) · Water · doi:10.3390/w17223280 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Increasing PFAS concentrations in human serum correlate with elevated blood lipid levels
Falls, A. T., Boatman, A. K., Ryan, J. P., Solosky, A. M., Dodds, J. N., Chappel, J. R., Fry, A. N., Kirkwood‐Donelson, K. I., Stapleton, H. M., & Baker, E. S. (2026) · Environmental Science Advances · doi:10.1039/d5va00483g · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationPOPE: an annual global half degree emission inventory for PFAS 1950–2020
Simon, P., Ramacher, M. O. P., Hagemann, S., Matthias, V., Joerss, H., & Bieser, J. (2026) · Earth system science data · doi:10.5194/essd-18-5713-2026 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Borrés, S. E. S., Kumar, S., Bonzongo, J. J., Quiñones, K. Y. D., & Jutla, A. (2024) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.4c00286 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Wang, H., Ye, C., Ge, R., Teng, B., Zhu, J., & Wang, C. (2025) · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · doi:10.1016/j.psep.2025.108370 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Park, J.-H., Choi, S., Kim, T., Kim, M.-K., & Zoh, K. (2026) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2026.125884 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Chappel, J. R., Kirkwood‐Donelson, K. I., Dodds, J. N., Fleming, J. F., Reif, D. M., & Baker, E. S. (2024) · Analytical Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03256 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Behrens, J. R., Joyce, A. S., Ferguson, P. L., Kolpin, D. W., Jayasundara, N., Barbo, N., & Bernhardt, E. S. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.4c14607 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationKumar, S., Borrés, S. E. S., Bonzongo, J. J., Quiñones, K. Y. D., & Jutla, A. (2025) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144287 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Enders, J. R., Weed, R. A., Donovan, E., Phelps, D. W., Campbell, G., May, K., & Baker, E. S. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c03600 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Wang, J., Shi, B., Xie, Y., Zhou, Y., Su, C., Zhang, J., Diao, J., Zheng, Z., Meng, J., Khim, J. S., et al. (2025) · Journal of Hydrology · doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133682 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Roy, J. W., & Weber, K. P. (2025) · Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue canadienne des ressources hydriques · doi:10.1080/07011784.2025.2519134 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Dunn, M., Juriasingani, P., Arnseth, R., Shabani, A., & Salk, K. R. (2025) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.5c00931 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationSnook, J., Bečanová, J., Vojta, Š., & Lohmann, R. (2025) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.5c01210 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Ehsan, M. N. (2026) · Journal of Environmental Quality · doi:10.1002/jeq2.70148 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Bui, D. N., Vu, D. N., & Minh, T. T. (2026) · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10661-026-15227-y · Cited by 2 · see citing works
PFAS Forensics, Part 2: Analytical Tools and Data Analysis for Source Attribution
McKnight, T., DiFilippo, E., Drollette, B., Duncan, J., Eberle, D., Flehmer, B., & Horn, A. (2026) · Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation · doi:10.1111/gwmr.70063 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Cunha, M., Díaz, S., Soares, A. M. V. M., Nardi, A., Gil, A. M., & Freitas, R. (2026) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142852 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Gianni, E., Scholtzová, E., Tyrologou, P., Couto, N., Pospı́šil, M., Papoulis, D., & Koukouzas, N. (2025) · Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management · doi:10.1093/inteam/vjae038 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Wang, M., Liu, J., Zhang, L., He, Y., Zhao, Y., & Zheng, S. (2024) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3852505/v1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Orenibi, E., Sandil, S., Dobosy, P., & Záray, G. (2026) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2026.121572 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Global patterns and predictors of PFAS contamination in odontocetes
Stokes, L., Stockin, K. A., Stevenson, G. J., Araujo, J. D., Saltré, F., & Peters, K. J. (2026) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.119949 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Song, J., Her, Y., Park, Y. S., Yoon, K., & Kim, H. (2023) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23603 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ortbal, S. K., Masud, M. A. A., Kebede, M. M., Rak, A., & Terry, L. G. (2026) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.6c00546
Environmental Remediation of Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Current and Emerging Strategies
Isukuru, E. J. (2023) · Journal of environment and earth science · doi:10.7176/jees/13-10-04
Fate and distribution of per and poly fluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in the urban environment
Nanjappa, V. (2024) · Queensland University of Technology · doi:10.5204/thesis.eprints.247479
(2024) · Earth system science data · doi:10.5194/essd-2024-236-rc1
Akhtar, N., Iqbal, A., Javid, A., & Tayyab, M. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research · doi:10.1007/s41742-025-00843-2
Miiro, A., Mubiru, E., Odume, O. N., Odongo, S., Nyakairu, G. W., Matovu, H., Kato, C. D., Špánik, I., Sillanpää, M. E. T., Sifuna, D., et al. (2025) · Emerging contaminants · doi:10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100580
Choi, S. J., Sim, W., & Oh, J. (2025) · JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS, HEALTH AND TOXICOLOGY · doi:10.36278/jeaht.28.4.173
Zhang, X.-L., Ye, C., Jiang, J., Shi, S., Liu, H., & Hong, W.-J. (2026) · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10661-026-15015-8
Miller, C. J., Schmidt, G., Jordan, S., Kedir, E. G., O'Leary, B. F., Hartrick, J., Khan, M., Kuplicki, S., Llewellyn, M. J., Norton, J. W., et al. (2026) · Journal of Environmental Engineering · doi:10.1061/joeedu.eeeng-8452
Riverine PFAS Dynamics in an Agricultural-Urban Watershed
Adeola, A., Green, D. I. S., Crumpton, W. G., & Charbonnet, J. A. (2026) · ACS ES&T Water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.6c00171
Nielsen, G. H., Spady, E. S., Moody, N. S., Heiger‐Bernays, W., Baird, S. J. S., & Smith, C. M. (2026) · Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment · doi:10.20517/jeea.2026.21
Ong, C., Afzal, A., Gao, Y., & Fu, Q. (2026) · Environmental Geochemistry and Health · doi:10.1007/s10653-026-03376-5
Ichihara, M., Asakawa, D., Tojo, T., Takakura, K., Taniyasu, S., & Yamashita, N. (2026) · Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances · doi:10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101456
Rudd, C. Z., Shojaei, M., Rivera, N. A., Lewis, R., Rider, L., Hsu-Kim, H., & Ferguson, P. L. (2026) · ACS ES&T water · doi:10.1021/acsestwater.6c00614
Self-citationAi, Y., Niu, S., Zhang, Y., Mao, M., Lin, B., & Dong, Z. (2026) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129174
Yan, Z., Xie, H., Fan, T., Feng, C., Jin, X., & Wu, F. (2026) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.6c10115
Milusich, E., Ruhs, E. C., Gilbert, J., Bohman, A., Burke, K., Community, P. I. I., Miller, G., Hince, R., Hua, J., & Dehnert, G. K. (2026) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2026.145125
- Authors
- Pétré, M.-A., Salk, K. R., Stapleton, H. M., Ferguson, P. L., Tait, G., Obenour, D. R., Knappe, D. R. U., & Genereux, D. P.
- Affiliations
- Geological Survey of Finland (FI)
- Duke University (US)
- North Carolina State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pétré, M.-A.
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-07
- Volume
- 831
- Pages
- 154763
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4220666820
- Cited by
- 96
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 6.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- EarthArXiv (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Duke University
- North Carolina State University
- 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 › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, Cape Fear River, drinking water consumption, perfluoroalkyl acids, legacy PFAS, groundwater discharge, LOADEST, PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid, human exposure
- MeSH terms
- Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities, Fluorocarbons, Humans, North Carolina, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Drinking Water
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
