Translocation, bioaccumulation, and distribution of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in plants
Bentuo Xu,
Wenhui Qiu,
Juan Du,
Zhenning Wan,
John L. Zhou,
Honghong Chen,
Renlan Liu,
Jason T. Magnuson,
Chunmiao Zheng
Affiliations
Bentuo Xu
National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Wenhui Qiu
School of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding author
Juan Du
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Zhenning Wan
National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
John L. Zhou
Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Honghong Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Renlan Liu
National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Jason T. Magnuson
Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, Bioscience and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, 4021 Stavanger, Norway
Chunmiao Zheng
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Summary: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent in the environment and have been detected in a variety of plants such as vegetables, cereals, and fruits. Increasing evidence shows that plants are at a risk of being adversely affected by PFASs. This review concludes that PFASs are predominantly absorbed by roots from sources in the soil; besides, the review also discusses several factors such as soil properties and the species of PFASs and plants. In addition, following uptake by root, long-chain PFASs (C ≥ 7 for PFCA and C ≥ 6 for PFSA) were preferentially retained within the root, whereas the short-chain PFASs were distributed across tissues above the ground — according to the studies. The bioaccumulation potential of PFASs within various plant structures are further expressed by calculating bioaccumulation factor (BAF) across various plant species. The results show that PFASs have a wide range of BAF values within root tissue, followed by straw, and then grain. Furthermore, owing to its high water solubility than other PFASs, PFOA is the predominant compound accumulated in both the soil itself and within the plant tissues. Among different plant groups, the potential BAF values rank from highest to lowest as follows: leaf vegetables > root vegetables > flower vegetables > shoot vegetables. Several PFAS groups such as PFOA, PFBA, and PFOS, may have an increased public health risk based on the daily intake rate (ID). Finally, future research is suggested on the possible PFASs degradation occurring in plant tissues and the explanations at genetic-level for the metabolite changes that occur under PFASs stress.
