Over the past few years, we have had the pleasure of contributing to the PROMISCES project, by our case study focusing on large catchment scale PFAS monitoring and modelling. Today, we are happy to share that Meiqi Liu's first-stage work has been officially published – and it also marks her first scientific journal publication

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are emerging contaminants known for their persistence in the environment and potential risks to ecosystems and human health. But how widespread is PFAS contamination in the Danube – one of Europe’s most international and iconic rivers?
In this study, we took an integrated approach to assess PFAS levels in the Danube until Budapest. We analyzed multiple environmental compartments, including: surface water, groundwater, riverbank filtrate, wastewater (municipal & industrial) influent and effluent, landfill leachate, surface runoff and atmopsheric deposition.

Key findings:
• The Alz River and Gendorf Chemical Park stand out as hotspot in the upper Danube region, particularly for ADONA and GenX.
• PFOA emission from Gendorf persists, despite nearly 20 years of phase-out.
• Industrial activity and legacy contamination (e.g. landfills, AFFF applied sites) are key sources of PFAS emission.
• Conventional WWTPs show limited PFAS removal, making them significant emission pathway.
• Bank-filtration proves largely ineffective in preventing PFAS contamination.

Have a look at all results and details: https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-025-01141-6, opens an external URL in a new window