Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly persistent synthetic chemicals utilized in many industrial and consumer products, such as fire-fighting foams and textile/packaging coatings.Recently, PFAS have been linked to adverse effects on human health, prompting the Washington State Department of Ecology to release an Interim Chemical Action Plan. Such concerns require further understanding of transport and fate of PFAS to prioritize marine monitoring efforts. Previous efforts to survey Puget Sound’s Main Basin have reported that perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnA) are present in the marine sediment surface layer, and fauna studies have shown accumulation by benthivores. Puget Sound Main Basin hosts densely populated urban (Seattle) and industrial (Tacoma) areas and is known to be contaminated with various persistent organic pollutants. This study aims to establish the first temporal analysis of PFAS in Puget Sound coupled with spatial survey from selected locations. Two dated sediment cores, near Seattle and Tacoma, are used in this investigation. Both cores have deep sediment layers dated back to the 19<sup>th</sup>century, providing ideal materials to study historical trends of PFAS inputs in Puget Sound, the change of sources/compositions through time, and environmental transformation. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MSMS) was used for identification and quantitation of PFAS. Our preliminary data show that PFOS is only detectable after 1949, the time of initial production of PFOS. PFOS concentration in the sediment core continued to increase up to 2002 (cores were collected in 2004).Despite the observed trend, PFOS concentrations in the Seattle core were low. Analysis for other classes of PFAS compounds such as fluorotelomer sulfonates is underway. Our data also highlight the need for additional cores to understand the PFAS trends since 2004.

Spatial and temporal distribution of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the main basin of Puget Sound, WA, USA

2019 Spring National Meeting

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