Forever but not everywhere? Unexpected non-detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in major Philippines rivers
Corresponding Author
Patrick Byrne
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Correspondence Patrick Byrne, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, United Kingdom.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorEmma Biles
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Search for more papers by this authorLoucel Cui
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorRichard Williams
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorDecibel V. Faustino-Eslava
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorLaura Quick
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorManilyn Casa
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorFrancis Ian P. Gonzalvo
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorMaria Regina V. Regalado
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKim Bryan N. Cabrera
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKit Felian C. Tenio
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJenielyn Padrones
Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJuan Miguel Guotana
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Hudson-Edwards
Camborne School of Mines and Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
Search for more papers by this authorGrigorios Vasilopoulos
Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Search for more papers by this authorThomas J. Coulthard
Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCecilia Tortajada
School of Social and Environmental Sustainability, Dumfries Campus, University of Glasgow, Dumfries, UK
Search for more papers by this authorJessica D. Villanueva-Peyraube
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJanice B. Sevilla-Nastor
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJustine Perry T. Domingo
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Megson
Ecology and Environmental Research Centre (EERC), Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Patrick Byrne
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Correspondence Patrick Byrne, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, United Kingdom.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorEmma Biles
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
Search for more papers by this authorLoucel Cui
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorRichard Williams
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorDecibel V. Faustino-Eslava
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorLaura Quick
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorManilyn Casa
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorFrancis Ian P. Gonzalvo
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorMaria Regina V. Regalado
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKim Bryan N. Cabrera
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKit Felian C. Tenio
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJenielyn Padrones
Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJuan Miguel Guotana
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Hudson-Edwards
Camborne School of Mines and Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
Search for more papers by this authorGrigorios Vasilopoulos
Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Search for more papers by this authorThomas J. Coulthard
Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCecilia Tortajada
School of Social and Environmental Sustainability, Dumfries Campus, University of Glasgow, Dumfries, UK
Search for more papers by this authorJessica D. Villanueva-Peyraube
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJanice B. Sevilla-Nastor
School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos, Philippines
Search for more papers by this authorJustine Perry T. Domingo
School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Megson
Ecology and Environmental Research Centre (EERC), Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Recent studies suggest per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in rivers worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, the frequency of PFAS detection in rivers is increasing. However, the overwhelming majority of studies and data represent high population and urbanized river catchments. In this study, we investigate PFAS occurrence in major Philippines river systems characterized by both high and low population densities. In the Pasig Laguna de Bay River, which drains a major urban conurbation, we detected PFAS at concentrations typical of global rivers. Unexpectedly, we did not detect PFAS in river water or sediments in low population density river catchments, despite our instrument detection limits being lower than the vast majority of river concentrations reported worldwide. We hypothesize that septic tanks, as the dominant wastewater treatment practice in Philippines catchments, may control the release of PFAS into groundwater and rivers in the Philippines. However, no groundwater PFAS data currently exist to validate this supposition. More broadly, our findings highlight the need for more representative PFAS sampling and analysis in rivers to more accurately represent regional and global detection frequencies and trends.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data used in this study is openly available.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| rvr270002-sup-0001-supplementary-information-tables.xlsx119.7 KB | Supporting information. |
| rvr270002-sup-0002-supporting-information-method.docx10.2 KB | Supporting information. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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