Abstract:To explore the residual characteristics and sources of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in Monopterus albus within the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, 150 M. albus were collected from 10 cities in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, and Chongqing. The source of PFCs in the M. albus was investigated in 2016 in the eel breeding base of Qianjiang City, Hubei Province. The samples were extracted and purified using C18 and carbon black (GCB). The contents of 19 PFCs were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that there were 8 residual PFCs in the eels of the Yangtze River, and the main pollutants were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). PFCs in the Yangtze River basin were the most polluted in Hubei Province, followed by Jiangxi Province. The highest content of PFOS in Hubei was 5.42 μg/kg, and PFOA were the highest in Sichuan Province at 3.66 μg/kg. Meanwhile, in the entire farming process, combined with the special breeding methods of M. albus, we found that the pollution of PFCs in M. albus mainly originated from earthworm feeding and the breeding environment, including pond water and soil.
