Survey of PFAS in surface water collected in Pensacola, FL
In this study, the presence of 51 PFAS were monitored in the Pensacola Bay System (PBS), Florida, USA. Due to the presence of many potential PFAS sources in close proximity to the PBS (e.g., military bases, industries, airports and several firefighting stations), the distribution and concentration of PFAS in this estuarine environment provides insights into the fate of these complex compounds as well as the possible impacts on coastal systems. Surface water was collected and analyzed from 45 different sites Of the perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), which comprised the majority of PFAS detected: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) were present in all samples; however, perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) was the individual PFAS with the highest concentration of this group (51.9 ng/L). The PFAS detected at the highest concentrations were perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSA), with perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) having the highest detected concentration (269 ng/L). At all sites, at least eight or more PFAS were quantified. Past and current use of PFAS-containing materials and their fate in areas surrounding military bases, airports, and industries, require more in-depth monitoring efforts to better determine the need for regulation, management, and/or remediation. Here, sites located close to areas suspected of PFAS use had elevated concentrations. For example, one coastal location near an airfield had a ΣPFAS of 677 ng/L. 
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Map of Perdido Bay (A), Pensacola Bay – comprising Escambia Bay (B) and East Bay (C), and Santa Rosa Sound (D). Sampling sites were generated using ArcGIS© v17 and the coordinates showed in Table S3. The graphic represents ΣPFAS present at the specific sites collected.
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Maps of PFCAs present at sites analyzed and their respective concentrations. Detection frequencies for PFOA were 100% (upper left), for PFNA 96% (upper right), for PFHpA 98% (lower left) and for PFDA 84% (lower right).
Full citation: da Silva BF, Aristizabal-Henao JJ, Aufmuth J, Awkerman J, Bowden JA. Survey of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water collected in Pensacola, FL. Heliyon. 2022 Aug 1;8(8).

For more information about this study or if you would like a copy of the publication, please email Dr. Bowden at [email protected].