Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been previously detected near suspected sources in Alabama, but the overall extent of contamination across the state is unknown. This study evaluated the spatial distribution of 17 PFAS within the ten major river basins in Alabama and provided insights into their transport and fate through a mass flux analysis. Six PFAS were identified in 65 out of the 74 riverine samples, with mean ∑₆PFAS levels of 35.2 ng L⁻¹. The highest ∑₆PFAS concentration of 237 ng L⁻¹ was detected in the Coosa River, a transboundary river that receives discharges from multiple sources in Alabama and Georgia. PFAS distribution was not observed to be uniform across the state: while the Coosa, Alabama, and Chattahoochee rivers presented relatively high mean ∑₆PFAS concentrations of 191, 100 and 28.8 ng L⁻¹, respectively, PFAS were not detected in the Conecuh, Escatawpa, and Yellow rivers. Remaining river systems presented mean ∑₆PFAS concentrations between 7.94 and 24.7 ng L⁻¹. Although the short-chain perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) was the most detected analyte (88%), perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) was the substance with the highest individual concentration of 79.4 ng L⁻¹. Consistent increases in the mass fluxes of PFAS were observed as the rivers flowed through Alabama, reaching up to 63.3 mg s⁻¹, indicating the presence of numerous sources across the state. Most of the mass inputs would not have been captured if only aqueous concentrations were evaluated, since concentration is usually heavily impacted by environmental conditions. Results of this study demonstrate that mass flux is a simple and powerful complementary approach that can be used to broadly understand trends in the transport and fate of PFAS in large river systems.

此前曾在阿拉巴马州的可疑来源附近检测到全氟和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS)，但该州的总体污染程度尚不清楚。本研究评估了阿拉巴马州 10 个主要河流流域内 17 种 PFAS 的空间分布，并通过质量通量分析提供了对其运输和归宿的见解。在 74 个河流样本中的 65 个中鉴定出六种 PFAS，平均 ∑ ₆ PFAS 水平为 35.2 ng L ^-1。最高的 ∑ ₆ PFAS 浓度为 237 ng L ^-1在库萨河中检测到，这是一条跨界河流，接收来自阿拉巴马州和乔治亚州多个来源的排放物。未观察到全州的 PFAS 分布是均匀的：虽然 Coosa、Alabama 和 Chattahoochee 河流的 ∑ ₆ PFAS 平均浓度相对较高，分别为 191、100和 28.8 ng L ^-1 ，但在 Conecuh 未检测到 PFAS，埃斯卡塔帕和黄河。其余河流系统的平均 ∑ ₆ PFAS 浓度介于 7.94 和 24.7 ng L ^-1之间。虽然短链全氟戊酸 (PFP​​eA) 是检测到最多的分析物 (88%)，但全氟丁烷磺酸 (PFBS) 是单项浓度最高的物质，为 79.4 ng L ^-1. 随着河流流经阿拉巴马州，观察到 PFAS 的质量通量持续增加，达到 63.3 mg s ^-1，表明该州存在许多来源。如果仅评估水浓度，则不会捕获大多数质量输入，因为浓度通常受到环境条件的严重影响。这项研究的结果表明，质量通量是一种简单而有效的补充方法，可用于广泛了解 PFAS 在大型河流系统中的迁移和归宿趋势。