Perfluorinated compounds in surficial sediments of the Ganges River and adjacent Sundarban mangrove wetland, India

This study reports the first evidence of the quantification of two dominant perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), namely perfluorooctanesulfate (PFOS) and perfluorooctannoate (PFOA), in surface sediment samples (0–5 cm; n = 13) from the Ganges (Hugli) River including Sundarban wetland, India using HPLC–MS/MS. The concentrations of PFOA exhibited a wide range of concentrations from <0.5 to 14.09 ng/g dry wt, whereas the concentration of PFOS was always below the detection limit of <0.5 ng/g dry wt. A consistent enrichment of PFOA was recorded in all the five sites of Sundarban (mean value 11.61 ± 1.86) whereas it was of moderate concentration or below the detection level in the seven sites along with the lower stretch of the Ganges (Hugli) River estuary (mean value 5.96 ng/g dry wt ± 5.36). Wastewater and untreated effluents are likely the major causes of accumulation of PFCs in sediments. The present paper could be used as baseline study to assess future monitoring programs of the ecosystem.