|
1A - Environmental analytical methods (MOP/8) Determination of perfluoroalkanoic acids in the aquatic environment. Scott, Brian1, Spencer, Christine 1, Moody, Cheryl2, Martin, Jonathon1, 2, Mabury, Scott2, Mactavish, David3, Muir, Derek1, 1 National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario, Canada2 University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada3 Canadian Meteorlogical Service, Toronot, Ontario, Canada ABSTRACT- The perfluorocarboxylic acids/anions (PFAs) and their sulphonic analogues are classes of compounds that are of increasing environmental concern in part because of their resistance to normal degradation. Our focus is the PFAs (C2-C9) in the aqueous environment, including precipitation, water columns of the Laurentian Great Lakes, sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents, and tributaries. Using a GC-MSD method, concentrations to Key words: aquatic, PFAs, STPs, precipitation |
0.5 ng/L, (1 L sample) can be measured. Results have been confirmed using high resolution mass spectrometry and LC-MS-MS which also determined perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid/anion values for Lake Ontario. The concentrations of the C8 and C9 PFAs in Lake Ontario were of the order of 1-10 ng/L while these compounds were below 0.5 ng/L in the water column of Lake Erie whose tributaries contained no measurable concentrations of these PFAs. Higher concentrations of the PFAs were found in the effluent from STPs which discharge into the tributaries of Lake Ontario. Since the concentrations of the perfluoro -C8 and C9 acids/anions may be below detection limits using 1L samples, a solid phase extraction method was developed using XAD-7 resin and