Authors
Xiaomin Li, Nannan Zhao, Tong Li, Ruiguo Wang, Xin Liu, Chengjing Qian, Yuxin Liu, Weiwei Zhang, Jianjie Fu
Published in
Environmental science & technology. Oct 09, 2025. Epub Oct 09, 2025.
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasingly detected in agricultural environments, yet national-scale data on PFAS contamination in paired food crops and soils remain scarce. This study presents the first nationwide investigation of legacy and emerging PFAS in paired soil and grain samples (n = 160) from 11 provinces representing China's major rice, wheat, and maize producing regions. PFAS were ubiquitously found in soils (median: 4.96 ng/g; range: 2.28-33.5 ng/g) and grains (7.74 ng/g; 2.40-25.3 ng/g), with short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids being the dominant class. The emerging-to-legacy PFAS ratio was 2.16 in soils and 4.26 in grains, and crop PFAS levels were 1.5 times higher than those in corresponding soils, indicating the greater propensity of emerging PFAS to be transported into crops. Paddy soils exhibited significantly higher PFAS concentrations than dryland soils (p < 0.05), likely due to irrigation-driven accumulation. In addition, intensive anthropogenic activities were found positively related to PFAS concentrations in soils (r = 0.54, p < 0.05). Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis attributed PFAS sources primarily to food packaging, textile processing, and fluorochemical industries. Risk prioritization based on the ToxPi framework highlighted PFPeA, PFOA, PFOS, and HFPO-DA as priority compounds of concern. This study provides essential baseline data on PFAS contamination in Chinese farmland and paired staple crops, supporting regulatory oversight of both legacy and emerging PFAS in agricultural systems.
PMID:
41068559
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Oct 2025.
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