[Estimation of perfluorinated compounds emissions from major rivers and wastewater treatment plants in China].

In order to estimate the environmental emissions of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), mass calculation method and monitoring data available were used to estimate the mass discharges of PFCs from some major rivers and several wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in several cities in China. Total river mass discharges of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in main rivers from coastal regions of the North Bohai Sea (NBS)were 122 kg/a and 216 kg/a, respectively, and the Daliao River and Dalin River contributed mostly to the total discharge of PFOS and PFOA in this area. Highest level of PFOS discharges were found in the Pearl River Delta and Yangze River, which were 4.47 x 10(3) kg/a and 807 kg/a respectively. The highest level of PFOA discharges were found in Yangze River and Huangpu River, which were 3.92 x 10(4) kg/a and 1.60 x 10(4) kg/a respectively. The per capita discharge of PFOS from WWTP in Beijing and Tianjin were 291 microg/(a x person) and 221 microg/(a x person), respectively, much less than the average per capita discharge of PFOS from WWTP in Switzerland and the USA. Relatively greater sewage sludge PFCs emissions were concentrated in industrialized cities where PFCs related industries were located. The results can be used for the identification of sources and emission control of PFCs in the future.