Concentrations and Composition Profiles of Perfluorinated Organic Compounds in Tap Water in Tokyo

Abstract

The concentrations of 11 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and 5 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs) in the tap water samples in Tokyo were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of perfl uoro organic compounds (PFCs; PFCAs + PFASs) in the tap water samples collected from 40 sampling points ranged from 0.72 to 95 ng·L-1 , with a mean value of 19 ng·L-1. Twelve PFCs were detected in the tap water samples with the highest PFC concentrations. The Tokyo tap water samples were divided into two main groups by cluster analysis on the basis of PFC composition profi le, i.e. , the Tama district and Tokyo wards. The compositions and concentrations of PFCs in the tap water samples from Tokyo wards were similar. On the other hand, there was variability among those in the tap water from the Tama district. This was likely because groundwater in addition to river water was used as raw water in the Tama district. Compared with the guideline values for PFCs and the health-based values for PFCs in the literature, the individual PFC concentrations found in the tap water samples in this study were low.