Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach

The persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water can pose risks to ecosystems, while due to data limitations, the occurrence, risks, and future trends of PFAS at large scales remain unknown. This study investigated the ecological risks of PFAS in surface water in China...

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Main Authors: Xinmiao Huang, Huijuan Wang, Xiaoyong Song, Zilin Han, Yilan Shu, Jiaheng Wu, Xiaohui Luo, Xiaowei Zheng, Zhengqiu Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Environment International
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000418
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author Xinmiao Huang
Huijuan Wang
Xiaoyong Song
Zilin Han
Yilan Shu
Jiaheng Wu
Xiaohui Luo
Xiaowei Zheng
Zhengqiu Fan
author_facet Xinmiao Huang
Huijuan Wang
Xiaoyong Song
Zilin Han
Yilan Shu
Jiaheng Wu
Xiaohui Luo
Xiaowei Zheng
Zhengqiu Fan
author_sort Xinmiao Huang
collection DOAJ
description The persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water can pose risks to ecosystems, while due to data limitations, the occurrence, risks, and future trends of PFAS at large scales remain unknown. This study investigated the ecological risks of PFAS in surface water in China under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) using machine learning modeling, based on concentration data collected from 167 published papers. The results indicated that long-chain PFAS currently dominated in most basins and posed significant risks, especially PFOA. Population density and temperature were key factors influencing risks of long-chain PFAS, while secondary industry and precipitation affected the risks of PFBS and PFHxS significantly, respectively. In the future, the ecological risks of long-chain PFAS would overall decrease, with risk probabilities of PFOA and PFOS decreasing significantly in SSP5 (8.15 % and 14.95 % reduction compared to 2020, respectively). The risks of short-chain PFAS were expected to increase, but stabilize in the late stage of SSP1. Nevertheless, the risks of long-chain PFAS would remain higher than those of short-chain PFAS, with high-risk areas concentrated in Southeast China. This study suggests changes in ecological risks of PFAS driven by future climate and human activities, providing new insights for risk management.
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spelling doaj-art-22d23448393f45818db90d3e8b2d0a102025-08-20T03:11:57ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202025-02-0119610929010.1016/j.envint.2025.109290Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approachXinmiao Huang0Huijuan Wang1Xiaoyong Song2Zilin Han3Yilan Shu4Jiaheng Wu5Xiaohui Luo6Xiaowei Zheng7Zhengqiu Fan8Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaSchool of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; Fudan Zhangjiang Institute, Shanghai 201203, China; Corresponding author at: School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Corresponding author.The persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water can pose risks to ecosystems, while due to data limitations, the occurrence, risks, and future trends of PFAS at large scales remain unknown. This study investigated the ecological risks of PFAS in surface water in China under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) using machine learning modeling, based on concentration data collected from 167 published papers. The results indicated that long-chain PFAS currently dominated in most basins and posed significant risks, especially PFOA. Population density and temperature were key factors influencing risks of long-chain PFAS, while secondary industry and precipitation affected the risks of PFBS and PFHxS significantly, respectively. In the future, the ecological risks of long-chain PFAS would overall decrease, with risk probabilities of PFOA and PFOS decreasing significantly in SSP5 (8.15 % and 14.95 % reduction compared to 2020, respectively). The risks of short-chain PFAS were expected to increase, but stabilize in the late stage of SSP1. Nevertheless, the risks of long-chain PFAS would remain higher than those of short-chain PFAS, with high-risk areas concentrated in Southeast China. This study suggests changes in ecological risks of PFAS driven by future climate and human activities, providing new insights for risk management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000418Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substancesHuman activitiesClimate changeRandom forestShared socioeconomic pathwaysInfluencing factors
spellingShingle Xinmiao Huang
Huijuan Wang
Xiaoyong Song
Zilin Han
Yilan Shu
Jiaheng Wu
Xiaohui Luo
Xiaowei Zheng
Zhengqiu Fan
Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
Environment International
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Human activities
Climate change
Random forest
Shared socioeconomic pathways
Influencing factors
title Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
title_full Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
title_fullStr Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
title_full_unstemmed Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
title_short Ecological risks of PFAS in China’s surface water: A machine learning approach
title_sort ecological risks of pfas in china s surface water a machine learning approach
topic Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Human activities
Climate change
Random forest
Shared socioeconomic pathways
Influencing factors
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025000418
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