Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sediments collected from the Pensacola Bay System watershed

Abstract Sediment samples from 25 locations in the Pensacola Bay System (PBS) watershed were analyzed for the presence of 51 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and selected reaction monitoring. Results revealed quantifiable concentrations of PFAS in all sampling locations. More specifically, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was present in every sediment sample with a minimum and maximum concentration of 0.04 to 0.48 ng g−1 dry weight, respectively, across the 25 sites with an average of 0.1 ± 0.09 ng g−1. While PFOS, with an average of 0.11 ± 0.14 ng g−1 (range: