Mass balance of perfluorinated alkyl substances in the Baltic Sea
Funding source: Formas - The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
Period: 1/1/08 - 12/31/10
Funding: 2695000 SEK
Description:
Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been produced for more than 50 years and are today ubiquitous in the environment. Ionic PFAS are surfactants and tend to accumulate in the water phase. Due to their unique physico-chemical properties, theories on PFAS’s transport pathways and fate in the environment remain controversial. The proposed project envisages a mass balance for PFAS in the Baltic Sea. So far, only very scarce information is available on the concentrations, distribution and patterns of PFAS in the Baltic region. Water samples from the major rivers discharging into the Baltic will be analysed, along with sewage treatment plant effluents, Baltic Sea water, sediment, and precipitation. This will allow us to identify the main sources of PFAS into the Baltic (source regions and potential point sources), and to draw conclusions on the relative importance of atmospheric transport, transformation, and deposition of PFAS precursors. A multimedia chemical fate and transport model of the Baltic Sea will be initialized using the measured PFAS concentrations in seawater and sediment and the external inputs from point sources, rivers, and precipitation. The model will be used to predict future trends, based on different assumptions for future emissions. The project results will be disseminated in a workshop for scientists and regulatory bodies.
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