The Investigation of Perfluorinated Compounds in Surface Waters of the Xixi Wetland, Hangzhou, China

The distribution patterns of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the surface waters of Xixi wetland, China, were investigated for the first time. Among the eight PFCs investigated, only perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected. PFOA was the most prominent PFC, and detected in all of the samples with higher PFOA concentrations (maximum: 197.8 ng L−1), followed by PFHpA (maximum: 3.97 ng L−1). Geographical differences in PFC levels were not observed among various sampling locations except for the YanShan River location, but seasonal changes have been observed for PFOA. The study suggested that the water diversion project from the Qiantang River to the Xixi Wetland may have significantly contributed to the increase of PFOA level, and that domestic sewage and farmland irrigation runoff are constant pollution sources to the Xixi Wetland.