A review of PFAS research in Asia and occurrence of PFOA and PFOS in groundwater, surface water and coastal water in Asia

Despite the usage of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) since the 1940s, concerns about their growing environmental issue have only been acknowledged lately. These emerging contaminants pose detrimental risks to human health and the environment, and research pertaining to this persistent organic pollutant has grown rapidly in recent years. This review provides an overview of PFAS research in Asia and the occurrence of PFOA and PFOS in the water media of Southeast Asia. Although the relationships between PFAS research in Asia with the total population and GDP in respective countries are inconclusive, the lack of PFAS research in Asia is mainly due to the lack of funding from governments. The findings on the occurrence of PFAS in groundwater, surface water and drinking water have been very limited until the turn of the century due to a lack of analytical procedures. Certain components of PFAS such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS) have been critically characterised, but new components of PFAS have yet to be fully studied. The characteristics of PFAS make it highly persistent, non-biodegradable and highly mobile in water. The combination of these characteristics along with the toxicity and adverse health effects of PFAS has made it a significant issue in groundwater and drinking water resources. The acceptable level of PFOA in drinking water should not exceed 70 ng/L as recommended by USEPA. Despite limited PFAS studies in selected countries in Southeast Asia, this region is also threatened with PFAs pollution as confirmed by publications that have detected the presence of PFAS in water media, including in drinking water sources.