Since several decades, interest has grown by scientists as well as policy makers, that environmental pollution threatens the biological structure and function of estuarine and coastline ecosystems. One of the most crucial and urgent aspects of the environmental monitoring policy is to unravel 'new chemicals' and to document the risks caused by these new substances, which often circulate already for decades in the environment. Persistent chemicals, like the halogenated organochemicals, have been studied very intensely, however, within this important group of substances, perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) have escaped to the attention of environmental toxicologists.Nevertheless, PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as well as their households. These compounds are stable on$ chemically inert and therefore, always considered as being safe for humans and environment. The presence of fluorine in human blood has been reported for the first time in 1968. However, it took several decodes before other research studies reported on the occurrence of alarmingly high levels of PFAS in the aquatic and terrestrial environment. In addition, they tend to accumulate along the food chain. Among the effects known are induction of peroxisomal ß-oxidation, induction of microsomaI liver carboxylesterase, membrane-related effects, and developmental problems in Rodentia and fish.Nowadays, public concerns about the persistence and the toxicological effects of PFAS have increased. However, a detailed quantitatively description of their distribution in the European aquatic environment is lacking.