[Concentration Levels and Health Risk Assessment of PFAS in PM_2.5 in Beijing].

Authors

Wei-Cheng Zhao, Zi-Yan Chen, Ming-Yang Li, Zhuo-Hui Yang, Fang Yang, Yu-Chen Wang, Yi-Fei Lu, Hao-Ran Yang, Xing-Ru Li

Published in

Huan jing ke xue= Huanjing kexue. Volume 47. Issue 10. Pages 6610-6617. Oct 15, 2026.

Abstract

This study employed a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （LC/MS） method for the quantitative analysis of 22 target perfluoroalkyl substances （PFAS） in PM_2.5 samples collected from Beijing. The research systematically investigated the concentration profiles， seasonal variation， and environmental behavior of the detected PFAS and assessed associated human health risks using the Estimated Daily Intake （EDI） model. The results indicated an average total PFAS concentration in Beijing's PM_2.5 of （28.08±13.68） pg·m^-3. Among the detected PFAS classes， perfluorinated carboxylic acids （PFCAs） exhibited the highest detection frequency， with perfluorooctanoic acid （PFOA） identified as the predominant congener. This was followed by perfluorobutanoic acid （PFBA） and perfluoroheptanoic acid （PFHpA） in terms of concentration levels. Perfluorinated sulfonic acids （PFSAs） with equivalent carbon chain lengths displayed significantly lower concentrations than their corresponding PFCA analogues. Notably， perfluorophosphonic acid compounds （PFPAs） were not detected in any sample. Distinct seasonal variations in PFAS concentrations were observed， with peak levels occurring in winter， followed by summer， and comparatively lower concentrations recorded during spring and autumn. Pollution episodes induced significant increases in PM_2.5-bound PFAS concentrations， consistently yielding higher levels on polluted days relative to those on clean days. Conversely， both clean and polluted days during spring and autumn maintained relatively low PFAS concentrations. Spearman correlation analysis revealed seasonally distinct patterns in the relationships between key parameters （e.g.， PFAS concentrations， meteorological factors）， implying complex PFAS sources and environmental behaviors within Beijing's atmosphere. Health risk assessment results demonstrated significantly higher EDI values for children compared to those for adults. Specifically， PFOA exposure in children represented 15.8% of its Reference Dose （RfD）. This suggests that even through a single exposure pathway （inhalation of PM_2.5）， PFOA may pose potential health concerns for children.

PMID:
42935376
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Oct 2026.

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