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Gerofke A, Lange R, Vogel N, Schmidt P, Weber T, David M, Frederiksen H, Baken K, Govarts E, Gilles L, Martin LR, Martinsone Ž, Santonen T, Schoeters G, Scheringer M, Domínguez-Romero E, López ME, Calvo AC, Koch HM, Apel P, Kolossa-Gehring M. Phthalates and substitute plasticizers: Main achievements from the European human biomonitoring initiative HBM4EU. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2024; 259:114378. [PMID: 38631089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Phthalates and the substitute plasticizer DINCH belong to the first group of priority substances investigated by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) to answer policy-relevant questions and safeguard an efficient science-to-policy transfer of results. Human internal exposure levels were assessed using two data sets from all European regions and Israel. The first collated existing human biomonitoring (HBM) data (2005-2019). The second consisted of new data generated in the harmonized "HBM4EU Aligned Studies" (2014-2021) on children and teenagers for the ten most relevant phthalates and DINCH, accompanied by a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program for 17 urinary exposure biomarkers. Exposures differed between countries, European regions, age groups and educational levels. Toxicologically derived Human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GVs) were exceeded in up to 5% of the participants of the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. A mixture risk assessment (MRA) including five reprotoxic phthalates (DEHP, DnBP, DiBP, BBzP, DiNP) revealed that for about 17% of the children and teenagers, health risks cannot be excluded. Concern about male reproductive health emphasized the need to include other anti-androgenic substances for MRA. Contaminated food and the use of personal care products were identified as relevant exposure determinants paving the way for new regulatory measures. Time trend analyses verified the efficacy of regulations: especially for the highly regulated phthalates exposure dropped significantly, while levels of the substitutes DINCH and DEHTP increased. The HBM4EU e-waste study, however, suggests that workers involved in e-waste management may be exposed to higher levels of restricted phthalates. Exposure-effect association studies indicated the relevance of a range of endpoints. A set of HBM indicators was derived to facilitate and accelerate science-to-policy transfer. Result indicators allow different groups and regions to be easily compared. Impact indicators allow health risks to be directly interpreted. The presented results enable successful science-to-policy transfer and support timely and targeted policy measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Gerofke
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Rosa Lange
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nina Vogel
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Phillipp Schmidt
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Till Weber
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Madlen David
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hanne Frederiksen
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark; International Centre for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kirsten Baken
- Brabant Advies, Brabantlaan 3, 5216 TV 's, Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
| | - Eva Govarts
- VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Liese Gilles
- VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | | | - Žanna Martinsone
- Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Rīga Stradiņš University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007, Riga, Latvia
| | - Tiina Santonen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), P.O. Box 40, FI-00032, Tyoterveyslaitos, Finland
| | - Greet Schoeters
- VITO Health, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), 2400 Mol, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Toxicological Center, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Martin Scheringer
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Elena Domínguez-Romero
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
| | - Marta Esteban López
- Environmental Toxicology Unit, National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Argelia Castaño Calvo
- Environmental Toxicology Unit, National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Holger M Koch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance - Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789 Bochum, Germany
| | - Petra Apel
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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Iannone A, Carriera F, Passarella S, Fratianni A, Avino P. There's Something in What We Eat: An Overview on the Extraction Techniques and Chromatographic Analysis for PFAS Identification in Agri-Food Products. Foods 2024; 13:1085. [PMID: 38611389 PMCID: PMC11011820 DOI: 10.3390/foods13071085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of anthropogenic chemicals used in a range of industrial processes and consumer products. Recently, their ubiquitous presence in the environment as well as their toxicological effects in humans have gained relevant attention. Although the occurrence of PFASs is widely investigated in scientific community, the standardization of analytical method for all matrices still remains an important issue. In this review, we discussed extraction and detection methods in depth to evaluate the best procedures of PFAS identification in terms of analytical parameters (e.g., limits of detection (LODs), limits of quantification (LOQs), recoveries). Extraction approaches based on liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), alkaline digestion, and solid phase extraction (SPE), followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis are the main analytical methods applied in the literature. The results showed detectable recoveries of PFOA and PFOS in meat, milk, vegetables, eggs products (90.6-101.2% and of 89.2-98.4%), and fish (96-108%). Furthermore, the low LOD and LOQ values obtained for meat (0.00592-0.01907 ng g-1; 0.050 ng g-1), milk (0.003-0.009 ng g-1; 0.010-0.027 ng g-1), fruit (0.002-0.009 ng g-1; 0.006-0.024 ng g-1), and fish (0.00369-0.017.33 ng g-1; 0.05 ng g-1) also confirmed the effectiveness of the recent quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method (QuEChERS) for simple, speedy, and sensitive ultra-trace PFAS analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Iannone
- Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, IT-86100 Campobasso, Italy; (A.I.); (F.C.); (S.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Fabiana Carriera
- Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, IT-86100 Campobasso, Italy; (A.I.); (F.C.); (S.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Sergio Passarella
- Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, IT-86100 Campobasso, Italy; (A.I.); (F.C.); (S.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Alessandra Fratianni
- Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, IT-86100 Campobasso, Italy; (A.I.); (F.C.); (S.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Pasquale Avino
- Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Via De Sanctis, IT-86100 Campobasso, Italy; (A.I.); (F.C.); (S.P.); (A.F.)
- Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Division of Rome, c/o Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, Via Cristoforo Colombo 44, IT-00147 Rome, Italy
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Rigaud M, Buekers J, Bessems J, Basagaña X, Mathy S, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Slama R. The methodology of quantitative risk assessment studies. Environ Health 2024; 23:13. [PMID: 38281011 PMCID: PMC10821313 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-01039-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Once an external factor has been deemed likely to influence human health and a dose response function is available, an assessment of its health impact or that of policies aimed at influencing this and possibly other factors in a specific population can be obtained through a quantitative risk assessment, or health impact assessment (HIA) study. The health impact is usually expressed as a number of disease cases or disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to or expected from the exposure or policy. We review the methodology of quantitative risk assessment studies based on human data. The main steps of such studies include definition of counterfactual scenarios related to the exposure or policy, exposure(s) assessment, quantification of risks (usually relying on literature-based dose response functions), possibly economic assessment, followed by uncertainty analyses. We discuss issues and make recommendations relative to the accuracy and geographic scale at which factors are assessed, which can strongly influence the study results. If several factors are considered simultaneously, then correlation, mutual influences and possibly synergy between them should be taken into account. Gaps or issues in the methodology of quantitative risk assessment studies include 1) proposing a formal approach to the quantitative handling of the level of evidence regarding each exposure-health pair (essential to consider emerging factors); 2) contrasting risk assessment based on human dose-response functions with that relying on toxicological data; 3) clarification of terminology of health impact assessment and human-based risk assessment studies, which are actually very similar, and 4) other technical issues related to the simultaneous consideration of several factors, in particular when they are causally linked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Rigaud
- Inserm, University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IAB, Team of Environmental Epidemiology Applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Grenoble, France
| | - Jurgen Buekers
- VITO, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Health, Mol, Belgium
| | - Jos Bessems
- VITO, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Unit Health, Mol, Belgium
| | - Xavier Basagaña
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, 28029, Spain
| | - Sandrine Mathy
- CNRS, University Grenoble Alpes, INRAe, Grenoble INP, GAEL, Grenoble, France
| | - Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, 28029, Spain
| | - Rémy Slama
- Inserm, University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IAB, Team of Environmental Epidemiology Applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Grenoble, France.
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Kolossa-Gehring M, Schoeters G, Castaño A, Barouki R, Haines D, Polcher A, Weise P. Special issue editorial: Key results of the european human biomonitoring initiative - HBM4EU. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 253:114197. [PMID: 37291032 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marike Kolossa-Gehring
- Head of Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Greet Schoeters
- Environment and Health, Dept of Biomedical Sciences & Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Argelia Castaño
- National Center for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Robert Barouki
- Unité UMR-S 1124 T3S Inserm-Université Paris Cité, 45 rue des Saints Pères, 75270, Paris, France; France Service de Biochimie Métabolomique et Protéomique, Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Philipp Weise
- Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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Forthun IH, Roelants M, Haug LS, Knutsen HK, Schell LM, Jugessur A, Bjerknes R, Sabaredzovic A, Bruserud IS, Juliusson PB. Levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Norwegian children stratified by age and sex - Data from the Bergen Growth Study 2. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 252:114199. [PMID: 37295275 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Due to the persistence, bioaccumulation and potential adverse health effects, there have been restrictions and phase out in the production of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) since the early 2000s. Published serum levels of PFAS during childhood are variable and may reflect the impact of age, sex, sampling year and exposure history. Surveying the concentrations of PFAS in children is vital to provide information regarding exposure during this critical time of development. The aim of the current study was therefore to evaluate serum concentrations of PFAS in Norwegian schoolchildren according to age and sex. MATERIAL AND METHODS Serum samples from 1094 children (645 girls and 449 boys) aged 6-16 years, attending schools in Bergen, Norway, were analyzed for 19 PFAS. The samples were collected in 2016 as part of the Bergen Growth Study 2. Statistical analyses included Student t-test, one-way ANOVA and Spearman's correlation analysis of log-transformed data. RESULTS Of the 19 PFAS examined, 11 were detected in the serum samples. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorononaoic acid (PFNA) were present in all samples with geometric means of 2.67, 1.35, 0.47 and 0.68 ng/mL, respectively. In total, 203 children (19%) had PFAS levels above the safety limits set by the German Human Biomonitoring Commission. Significantly higher serum concentrations were found in boys compared to girls for PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS). Furthermore, serum concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFHpS were significantly higher in children under the age of 12 years than in older children. CONCLUSIONS PFAS exposure was widespread in the sample population of Norwegian children analyzed in this study. Approximately one out of five children had PFAS levels above safety limits, indicating a potential risk of negative health effects. The majority of the analyzed PFAS showed higher levels in boys than in girls and decreased serum concentrations with age, which may be explained by changes related to growth and maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingvild Halsør Forthun
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Mathieu Roelants
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Environment and Health KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Line Småstuen Haug
- Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Center for Sustainable Diets, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helle Katrine Knutsen
- Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Center for Sustainable Diets, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lawrence M Schell
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
| | - Astanand Jugessur
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert Bjerknes
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Ingvild Særvold Bruserud
- Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Faculty of Health, VID Specialized University, Bergen, Norway
| | - Petur Benedikt Juliusson
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Children and Youth Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Health Registry Research and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway
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