Forever but not everywhere? Unexpected non‐detection of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in major Philippines rivers

Byrne, Patrick; Biles, Emma; Cui, Loucel; Williams, Richard; Faustino‐Eslava, Decibel V.; Quick, Laura; Casa, Manilyn; Gonzalvo, Francis Ian P.; Regalado, Maria Regina V.; Cabrera, Kim Bryan N.; Tenio, Kit Felian C.; Padrones, Jenielyn; Guotana, Juan Miguel; Hudson‐Edwards, Karen A.; Vasilopoulos, Grigorios; Coulthard, Thomas J.; Tortajada, Cecilia; Villanueva‐Peyraube, Jessica D.; Sevilla‐Nastor, Janice B.; Domingo, Justine Perry T.; Megson, David

Abstract

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.

Citation

Byrne, P., Biles, E., Cui, L., Williams, R., Faustino‐Eslava, D. V., Quick, L., Casa, M., Gonzalvo, F. I. P., Regalado, M. R. V., Cabrera, K. B. N., Tenio, K. F. C., Padrones, J., Guotana, J. M., Hudson‐Edwards, K. A., Vasilopoulos, G., Coulthard, T. J., Tortajada, C., Villanueva‐Peyraube, J. D., Sevilla‐Nastor, J. B., Domingo, J. P. T., & Megson, D. (in press). Forever but not everywhere? Unexpected non‐detection of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in major Philippines rivers. River, https://doi.org/10.1002/rvr2.70002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 6, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Feb 21, 2025
• Deposit Date: Feb 24, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2025
• Journal: River
• Print ISSN: 2750-4867
• Electronic ISSN: 2750-4867
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rvr2.70002
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5044375
• Additional Information: Received: 2024-09-10; Accepted: 2025-02-06; Published: 2025-02-21