Occurrence and contamination profile of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Belgian wastewater using target, suspect and non-target screening approaches

Abstract: With the growing concern regarding the health risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), there is an increasing demand for the identification of emerging PFAS. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of legacy and emerging PFAS in 16 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Belgium using target, suspect, and non-target screening methods. Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) were the dominant compounds in most locations, whereas perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the most predominant PFAS in WWTP Deurne (Antwerp region). Using a suspect sc... Mehr ...