Environmental distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on Svalbard: Local sources and long-range transport to the Arctic.

The environmental distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, snow, sediment and soil samples taken along the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, Norwegian Arctic, was determined. The contribution of potential local primary sources (wastewater, firefighting training site at Svalbard airport, landfill) to PFAS concentrations and long-range transport (atmosphere, ocean currents) were then compared, based on measured PFAS levels and composition profiles. In remote coastal and inland areas of Spitsbergen, meltwater had the highest mean ΣPFAS concentration (6.5 ± 1.3 ng L-1), followed by surface snow (2.5 ± 1.7 ng L-1), freshwater (2.3 ± 1.1 ng L-1), seawater (1.05 ± 0.64 ng L-1), lake sediments (0.084 ± 0.038 ng g-1 dry weight (dw)) and marine sediments (