Historical trends of inorganic and organic fluorine in sediments of Lake Michigan

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 114; pp. 203 - 209
• Main Authors: Codling, Garry, Vogt, Anja, Jones, Paul D., Wang, Tieyu, Wang, Pei, Lu, Y.-L., Corcoran, Margaret, Bonina, Solidea, Li, An, Sturchio, Neil C., Rockne, Karl J., Ji, Kyunghee, Khim, Jong-Seong, Naile, Jonathan E., Giesy, John P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alkanesulfonic Acids - analysis; Applied sciences; Canada; Caprylates - analysis; Chemosphere; Exact sciences and technology; Fluorine; Fluorine - analysis; Fluorine Compounds - analysis; Fluorocarbons - analysis; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Lake Michigan; Lakes - analysis; Michigan; Perfluorinated chemicals; PFCs; PFOA; PFOS; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Sediment; Sedimentation; Sediments; Soil and sediments pollution; Sulfonates; Trends; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Lake Michigan; Great Lakes of America; United States; North America; America; USA, Illinois, Michigan L; USA, Michigan L; Lake Michigan; Sediment; PFCs; PFOA; Perfluorinated chemicals; PFOS; Emerging contaminant; Organic perhalocompound; Fluorine Compounds; Lake sediments; Spatial variation; Case history; Time variation; Persistent organic pollutant; Freshwater environment; Anionic surfactant; Pollution; Perfluorooctanoic acid; Fluorine Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.03.080

•We took 8 sediment cores and 27 ponar grabs from Lake Michigan in 2010.•Samples were extracted for total fluorine, extractable fluorine and 25 PFCs.•PFOS and PFOA are the predominant PFCs in sediment cores.•PFBS and PFBA are appearing in upper sections at concentrations similar to PFOS and PFOA.•TF and EOF concentrations are orders of magnitude higher than PFCs.
Total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and poly- and per-fluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in eight dated cores of sediment taken along with 27 surface sediments from Lake Michigan in 2010. Based on rates of sedimentation, total concentrations of PFCs (∑PFCs) reached a maximum in the later 1990s and early 2000s. This result is consistent with rapid changes in production and subsequent sedimentation. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are still the predominant PFCs in the cores, but in surface sediments, concentrations of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) are now occurring at concentrations comparable to those of PFOS and PFOA. This observation is consistent with shifts in patterns of production and use in the US and Canada. Concentrations of TF in sediments were greater than those of EOF. This result is consistent with a larger proportion of un-extractable fluorinated material in both surface sediments and in cores.