To Örebro University

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of emerging persistent organic pollutants. PFASs in soil can affect water quality when they leach into groundwater, and threaten the ecosystem and human health through trophic transfer and magnification along the terrestrial food chains, which make them one of the hot research topics in environmental chemistry. At present, the content of less than 1% of the total fluorinated compounds in the soil can be accurately determined, and the content is at the ng/g level. The research areas in China are concentrated in the east and the surrounding areas of fluorochemical plants. The main compounds of PFASs in soil are PFOS and PFOA. The physicochemical properties of soil, species of PFASs and human activities are the main factors influencing the occurrence of PFASs in different types of soil. In addition to the direct release and atmospheric transport during the production and use of fluorinated chemicals, PFASs precursor conversion in soil is also an important source of PFASs. Adsorption-desorption is the major process affecting the transport of PFASs in soil. Studies also demonstrate that the transport and accumulation of PFASs in soil are affected by various factors such as the chain-length and functional groups of PFASs, soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms. In consideration of the research status, further development of extraction and analytical methods is needed to cover a wider range of PFASs. Attention can be paid to the changing trend and mechanism of novel PFASs in soil. The bioaccessibility and bioavailability study of PFASs in soil are also needed for ecological and human health risk assessment.