Occurrence of ultrashort-chain per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the coral reef ecosystem of the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea
By Fengli Zhou, Yan Wang, Jia Yang, Xiaodong Wang, Lijia Xu, Mehvish Mumtaz, Hui Chen, Xiaotu Liu, and Da Chen
Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.
May 15, 2026
DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00336
Ultrashort-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (USC-PFAS) have gained increasing attention due to their ubiquitous environmental presence and escalating environmental concerns. However, data on their presence in corals remain lacking. This study investigated the concentrations of USC-PFAS, including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFPrA), trifluoromethanesulfonate (TFMS), perfluoroethanesulfonate (PFEtS), perfluoropropanesulfonate (PFPrS), and bisperfluoromethane sulfonimide (bis-FMeSI), along with other legacy and emerging PFAS in reef-building coral samples (n = 54) from the Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea. Among the USC-PFAS, TFA, PFPrA, and bis-FMeSI exhibited detection rates of 100%, 74%, and 72%, respectively, in coral samples. TFA dominated the PFAS profile, accounting for 86% of the total concentrations by weight, with concentrations (median: 23 ng/g dw) far exceeding those of all other legacy and emerging PFAS. The wet-weight-based logarithm bioaccumulation factors (log10 BAFs) from seawater to coral were estimated to be 1.85–3.60 for TFA, 2.07–4.09 for PFPrA, and 0.56–3.43 for bis-FMeSI, suggesting their bioaccumulative potential in reef-building corals. This study provides the first evidence of the widespread occurrence of USC-PFAS, particularly TFA, in reef-building corals, underscoring the need for further research into their potential ecological risks.
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