Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in soils and groundwater of a U.S. metropolitan area: Migration and implications for human exposure
Abstract
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are emerging anthropogenic compounds that have recently become the target of global concern due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment, persistence, and bioaccumulative properties. This study was carried out to investigate the migration of PFOS and PFOA in soils and groundwater in a U.S. metropolitan area. We observed elevated levels in surface soils (median: 12.2 ng PFOS/g dw and 8.0 ng PFOA/g dw), which were much higher than the soil-screening levels for groundwater protection developed in this study. The measured levels in subsurface soils show a general increase with depth, suggesting a downward movement toward the groundwater table and a potential risk of aquifer contamination. Furthermore, concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in monitoring wells in the source zone varied insignificantly over 5 years (2009-2013), suggesting limited or no change in either the source or the magnitude of the source. The analysis also shows that natural processes of dispersion and dilution can significantly attenuate the groundwater contamination; the adsorption on aquifer solids, on the other hand, appears to have limited effects on the transport of PFOS and PFOA in the aquifer. The probabilistic exposure assessment indicates that ingestion of contaminated groundwater constitutes a much more important exposure route than ingestion of contaminated soil. Overall, the results suggest that (i) the transport of PFOS and PFOA is r…
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Transport modeling at individual contaminated sites indicates that soils and the vadose zone serve as a significant long-term source of PFAS.
“The results of transport modeling conducted at individual contaminated sites also indicate that soils and the vadoze zone serve as a significant long-term source of PFAS (Shin et al., 2011; Xiao et al., 2015; Weber et al., 2017).”
From PFAS concentrations in soils: Background levels versus contaminated sites (2020) · cites this paper as Xiao et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Xiao, F., Simcik, M. F., Halbach, T. R., & Gulliver, J. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Xiao, Feng
- Venue
- Water Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-04
- Volume
- 72
- Pages
- 64-74
- ISSN
- 0043-1354 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2042340813
- Cited by
- 359
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5
- FWCI
- 6.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Water Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota (#2013003)
- 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 › Chemical Analysis and Environmental Impact
- Keywords
- PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorinated compounds, groundwater contamination, soil contamination, contaminant transport, vadose zone, adsorption, natural attenuation, human exposure, oral exposure, probabilistic exposure assessment, source zone, point source pollution, metropolitan areas
- MeSH terms
- Caprylates, Environmental Exposure, Fluorocarbons, Geography, Humans, Minnesota, Soil, Soil Pollutants, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Groundwater, Drinking Water
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