An investigation into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in nineteen Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

ABSTRACT: Quantifying the emissions of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is of high importance due to potential impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems. The new Australian PFAS National Environmental Management Plan recommends 0.23 ng L-1 of PFOS as the guideline value for 99% species protection for aquatic systems. In this study, 21 PFAS from four classes were measured in WWTP solid and aqueous samples from 19 Australian WWTPs. The mean ∑21PFAS was 110 ng L-1 (median: 80 ng L-1; range: 9.3-520 ng L-1) in aqueous samples and 34 ng g-1 dw (median: 12 ng g-1 dw; range: 2.0-130 ng g-1 dw) in WWTP solids. Similar to WWTPs worldwide, perfluorocarboxylic acids were generally higher in effluent, compared to influent. Partitioning to solids within

SUBMITTER: Coggan TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6716228 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature