Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Canadian municipal wastewater and biosolids: Recent patterns and time trends 2009 to 2021

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dc.contributor.author

Gewurtz, Sarah B.

Auyeung, Alexandra S.

De Silva, Amila O.

Teslic, Steven

Smyth, Shirley Anne

dc.date.accepted

2023-11-14

dc.date.accessioned

2024-01-23T16:35:50Z

dc.date.available

2024-01-23T16:35:50Z

dc.date.issued

2024-02-20

dc.date.submitted

2023-07-07

dc.description.abstract - en

The concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were determined in raw influent, final effluent, and treated biosolids at Canadian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to evaluate the fate of PFAS through liquid and solids trains of typical treatment process types used in Canada and to assess time trends of PFAS in wastewater between 2009 and 2021. Data for 42 PFAS in samples collected from 27 WWTP across Canada were used to assess current concentrations and 48 WWTPs were included in the time trends analysis. Although regulated and phased-out of production by industry since the early 2000s and late 2000s/early2010s, respectively, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and other long-chain PFAS continue to be widely detected in Canadian wastewater and biosolids. Short-chain PFAS that are not currently regulated in Canada were also widely detected. In general, elevated concentrations of several PFAS were observed at WWTPs that receive landfill leachate. Except for PFOS, concentrations of long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) generally decreased over time in influent, effluent, and biosolids, which is attributable to industrial production phase-outs and regulations. Concentrations of PFOS did not decrease over time in wastewater media. This indicates that regulatory action and industrial phase-outs of PFOS are slow to be reflected in wastewater. Concentrations of short-chain PFCAs in wastewater influent and effluent consistently increased between 2009 and 2021, which reflect the use of short-chain PFAS as replacements for phased-out and regulated longer-chained PFAS. Short-chain PFAS were infrequently detected in biosolids. Continued periodic monitoring of PFAS in wastewater matrices in Canada and throughout the world is recommended to track the effectiveness of regulatory actions, particularly activities to address the broad class of PFAS.

dc.identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168638

dc.identifier.issn

0048-9697

1879-1026

dc.identifier.uri

https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/1884

dc.language.iso

en

dc.publisher

Elsevier

dc.rights - en

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

dc.rights - fr

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en

Gold

dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr

Or

dc.rights.uri - en

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

dc.rights.uri - fr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.fr

dc.subject - en

Nature and environment

Water

Science and technology

dc.subject - fr

Nature et environnement

Eau

Sciences et technologie

dc.subject.en - en

Nature and environment

Water

Science and technology

dc.subject.fr - fr

Nature et environnement

Eau

Sciences et technologie

dc.title - en

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Canadian municipal wastewater and biosolids: Recent patterns and time trends 2009 to 2021

dc.type - en

Article

dc.type - fr

Article

local.acceptedmanuscript.articlenum

168638

local.article.journaltitle

Science of The Total Environment

local.article.journalvolume

912

local.pagination

11 pages

local.peerreview - en

Yes

local.peerreview - fr

Oui

local.requestdoi

No

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