1
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Hill NI, Becanova J, Vojta S, Barber LB, LeBlanc DR, Vajda AM, Pickard HM, Lohmann R. Bioconcentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and precursors in fathead minnow tissues environmentally exposed to aqueous film-forming foam-contaminated waters. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2024. [PMID: 38896102 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with toxicity in wildlife and negative health effects in humans. Decades of fire training activity at Joint Base Cape Cod (MA, USA) incorporated the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which resulted in long-term PFAS contamination of sediments, groundwater, and hydrologically connected surface waters. To explore the bioconcentration potential of PFAS in complex environmental mixtures, a mobile laboratory was established to evaluate the bioconcentration of PFAS from AFFF-impacted groundwater by flow-through design. Fathead minnows (n = 24) were exposed to PFAS in groundwater over a 21-day period and tissue-specific PFAS burdens in liver, kidney, and gonad were derived at three different time points. The ∑PFAS concentrations in groundwater increased from approximately 10,000 ng/L at day 1 to 36,000 ng/L at day 21. The relative abundance of PFAS in liver, kidney, and gonad shifted temporally from majority perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides (FASAs) to perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs). By day 21, mean ∑PFAS concentrations in tissues displayed a predominance in the order of liver > kidney > gonad. Generally, bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for FASAs, perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs), and fluorotelomer sulfonates (FTS) increased with degree of fluorinated carbon chain length, but this was not evident for PFSAs. Perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) displayed the highest mean BCF (8700 L/kg) in day 21 kidney. Suspect screening results revealed the presence of several perfluoroalkyl sulfinate and FASA compounds present in groundwater and in liver for which pseudo-bioconcentration factors are also reported. The bioconcentration observed for precursor compounds and PFSA derivatives detected suggests alternative pathways for terminal PFAS exposure in aquatic wildlife and humans. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1-12. © 2024 The Author(s). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas I Hill
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Jitka Becanova
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Simon Vojta
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | | | - Alan M Vajda
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Heidi M Pickard
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rainer Lohmann
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
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2
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Zhu W, Liu W, Jin H. Sediment-seawater partitioning, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of perfluorobutane sulfonamide in marine environment. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121466. [PMID: 38493741 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Environmental occurrence of perfluorobutane sulfonamide (PFBSA) has only been recently discovered. The current knowledge regarding the occurrence and environmental behaviors of PFBSA in the marine environment is still relatively limited. In this study, PFBSA and other 37 poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances were analyzed in seawater (n = 43), sediment (n = 43), and marine fish (n = 176) samples collected from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean. PFBSA was detected in > 90% of seawater from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean, with the concentrations of 1.0 - 19 ng/L and < LOD-228 pg/L, respectively. The field-based mean log-transformed sediment-seawater partitioning coefficients of PFBSA were 1.6 ± 0.19 L/kg dw and 1.1 ± 0.19 L/kg dw in East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean, respectively, which are lower than that of perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctane sulfonate. This indicates its long-range transport potential in global oceans with ocean currents. The mean log-transformed bioaccumulation factor values of PFBSA determined in the multiple species of whole-body marine fishes from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean were 2.3 L/kg ww and 2.4 L/kg ww, respectively, which are comparable to that of perfluoroheptanoate (2.3 L/kg ww) in marine fishes from East China Sea. We did not observe an obvious biomagnification or biodilution of PFBSA along the marine food chain in East China Sea or Antarctic Ocean. This study provides the first data on the environmental behaviors of PFBSA in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Zhu
- Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Fishery Resources for Key Fishing Grounds, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Technology Research for Fishery Resources of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316021, China
| | - Wenbo Liu
- Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Fishery Resources for Key Fishing Grounds, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Technology Research for Fishery Resources of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316021, China
| | - Hangbiao Jin
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310032, China.
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3
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Pickard HM, Haque F, Sunderland EM. Bioaccumulation of Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonamides (FASA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2024; 11:350-356. [PMID: 38645703 PMCID: PMC11027762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Hundreds of sites across the United States have high concentrations of perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides (FASA), but little is known about their propensity to accumulate in fish. FASA are precursors to terminal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are abundant in diverse consumer products and aqueous film-forming foams manufactured using electrochemical fluorination (ECF AFFF). In this study, FASA with C3-C8 carbon chain lengths were detected in all fish samples from surface waters up to 8 km downstream of source zones with ECF AFFF contamination. Short-chain FASA ≤ C6 have rarely been included in routine screening for PFAS, but availability of new standards makes such analyses more feasible. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for FASA were between 1 and 3 orders of magnitude greater than their terminal perfluoroalkyl sulfonates. Across fish species, BAF for FASA were greater than for perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), which is presently the focus of national advisory programs. Similar concentrations of the C6 FASA (<0.36-175 ng g-1) and PFOS (0.65-222 ng g-1) were detected in all fish species. No safety thresholds have been established for FASA. However, high concentrations in fish next to contaminated sites and preliminary findings on toxicity suggest an urgent need for consideration by fish advisory programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi M Pickard
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Faiz Haque
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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4
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Golosovskaia E, Örn S, Ahrens L, Chelcea I, Andersson PL. Studying mixture effects on uptake and tissue distribution of PFAS in zebrafish (Danio rerio) using physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modelling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168738. [PMID: 38030006 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitously distributed in the aquatic environment. They include persistent, mobile, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals and it is therefore critical to increase our understanding on their adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME). The current study focused on uptake of seven emerging PFAS in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and their potential maternal transfer. In addition, we aimed at increasing our understanding on mixture effects on ADME by developing a physiologically based kinetic (PBK) model capable of handling co-exposure scenarios of any number of chemicals. All studied chemicals were taken up in the fish to varying degrees, whereas only perfluorononanoate (PFNA) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) were quantified in all analysed tissues. Perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) was measured at concerningly high concentrations in the brain (Cmax over 15 μg/g) but also in the liver and ovaries. All studied PFAS were maternally transferred to the eggs, with FOSA and 6:2 perfluorooctane sulfonate (6,2 FTSA) showing significant (p < 0.02) signs of elimination from the embryos during the first 6 days of development, while perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), PFNA, and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) were not eliminated in embryos during this time-frame. The mixture PBK model resulted in >85 % of predictions within a 10-fold error and 60 % of predictions within a 3-fold error. At studied levels of PFAS exposure, competitive binding was not a critical factor for PFAS kinetics. Gill surface pH influenced uptake for some carboxylates but not the sulfonates. The developed PBK model provides an important tool in understanding kinetics under complex mixture scenarios and this use of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) is critical in future risk assessment of chemicals and early warning systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefan Örn
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lutz Ahrens
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ioana Chelcea
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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5
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Groffen T, Keirsebelik H, Dendievel H, Falcou-Préfol M, Bervoets L, Schoelynck J. Are Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) suitable as biomonitor or bioindicator of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution? JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 464:133024. [PMID: 37988866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment. In Flanders, the bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is currently being monitored using European perch and European eel. Since both are native species, there is an ethical need to search for other suitable biomonitors. This study aims to investigate whether the invasive Chinese mitten crab could be used in biomonitoring programs by assessing PFAS accumulation in hepatopancreas, muscle tissue, and carapace. Furthermore, we correlated accumulated concentrations to those in the local abiotic environment. Concentrations in the crabs (highest average ∑PFAS concentration of 688 ± 505 ng/g ww) were often higher than those in crab species from other regions across the globe, confirming that Flanders is highly polluted with PFAS. Concentrations in the crabs did not reflect those in the abiotic environment. This implies that biomonitoring is necessary to investigate the impact of PFAS pollution on organisms in aquatic ecosystems, as important data is missing when only the abiotic environment is monitored. The accumulation profiles differed between the invasive crab and the native European perch and European eel, potentially due to a different ecology and trophic position. Since all three species provide complementary information on the PFAS pollution, a multi-species approach in biomonitoring is recommended. Overall, our results show that the crabs can be used as biomonitor, but more information is necessary to confirm their suitability as bioindicator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thimo Groffen
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Heleen Keirsebelik
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hannes Dendievel
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Mathilde Falcou-Préfol
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Lieven Bervoets
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jonas Schoelynck
- University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOSPHERE Research Group, Universiteitsplein 1C, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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6
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Liu M, Glover CM, Munoz G, Duy SV, Sauvé S, Liu J. Hunting the missing fluorine in aqueous film-forming foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 464:133006. [PMID: 37988941 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Since aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are major sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), understanding the quantity and type of PFAS present in AFFFs is crucial for assessing environmental risk and remediation. We characterized 25 foams from Canada and Europe, including two non-AFFFs and two fluorine-free AFFFs. We used liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) to identify novel PFAS, as well as total oxidizable precursor assays (TOP) and total organofluorine (TOF) measurements for comparison. LC-HRMS showed that the two non-AFFF foams and two PFAS-free AFFFs contained little or no PFAS, confirmed by TOF measurement using combustion ion chromatography (CIC). The PFAS-containing AFFFs, however, spanned a wide concentration range of TOF (2200-45,000 mg F/L) and contained 22 new classes of polyfluoroalkyl substances not previously reported. As a result of identifying new compounds, LC-HRMS was fully able to capture the oxidizable precursors determined by TOP assay in all tested fluorotelomer (FT) AFFFs, while unknown compounds still constituted a significant fraction (19-53 mol%) in most electrochemical fluorination (ECF) AFFFs. A fluorine mass balance was achieved by comparing the amounts of compounds identified by LC-HRMS with those detected by CIC, although LC-HRMS overestimated TOF with a recovery of 127 ± 36%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Caitlin M Glover
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Gabriel Munoz
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Sung Vo Duy
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Sébastien Sauvé
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Jinxia Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada.
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7
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Nilsen E, Muensterman D, Carini L, Waite I, Payne S, Field JA, Peterson J, Hafley D, Farrer D, Jones GD. Target and suspect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in fish from an AFFF-impacted waterway. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167798. [PMID: 37838049 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
A major source of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) used in firefighting and training at airports and military installations, however, PFAS have many additional sources in consumer products and industrial processes. A field study was conducted on fish tissues from three reaches of the Columbia Slough, located near Portland International Airport, OR, that are affected by AFFF and other PFAS sources. Fishes including largescale sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus), goldfish (Carassius auratus), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were collected in 2019 and 2020. Fish blood, liver, and fillet (muscle) were analyzed for target and suspect PFAS by liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Data were analyzed for patterns by fish species, tissue type, and river reach. Thirty-three out of 50 target PFAS and additional suspect compounds were detected at least once during the study, at concentrations up to 856 ng/g. Seven carboxylic acids (PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUdA, PFDoA, PFTrDA, PFTeDA), three sulfonates (PFHxS, PFOS, PFDS), three electrofluorination-based compounds (FBSA, FHxSA, FOSA), and two fluorotelomer-based compounds (8:2 FTS, 10:2 FTS) were the most frequently detected compounds in all tissue types. The C6 (PFHxS) to C10 (PFDS) homologs were detected with PFOS and FHxSA at concentrations 1-3 orders of magnitude greater than the other PFAS detected. This is the first report of Cl-PFOS, FPeSA, and FHpSA detected in fish tissue. In all fish samples, fillet concentrations of PFAS were the lowest, followed by liver, and blood concentrations of PFAS were the highest. Differences in PFAS concentrations were driven primarily by tissue types and to a lesser extent fish species, but weakly by river reach. The Oregon Health Authority modified an existing fish consumption advisory on the Columbia Slough to recommend no whole-body consumption of most fish to avoid elevated levels of PFOS in fish liver. Measured PFAS concentrations in fish tissues indicate the potential for adverse ecological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Nilsen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, OR, USA.
| | - Derek Muensterman
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Lya Carini
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Ian Waite
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sean Payne
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Jennifer A Field
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Daniel Hafley
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, OR, USA
| | - David Farrer
- Oregon Health Authority, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 640, Portland, OR 97232, USA
| | - Gerrad D Jones
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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Carrizo JC, Munoz G, Vo Duy S, Liu M, Houde M, Amé MV, Liu J, Sauvé S. PFAS in fish from AFFF-impacted environments: Analytical method development and field application at a Canadian international civilian airport. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 879:163103. [PMID: 36972881 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Methods targeting anionic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic biota are well established, but commonly overlook many PFAS classes present in aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs). Here, we developed an analytical method for the expanded analysis of negative and positive ion mode PFAS in fish tissues. Eight variations of extraction solvents and clean-up protocols were first tested to recover 70 AFFF-derived PFAS from the fish matrix. Anionic, zwitterionic, and cationic PFAS displayed the best responses with methanol-based ultrasonication methods. The response of long-chain PFAS was improved for extracts submitted to graphite filtration alone compared with those involving solid-phase extraction. The validation included an assessment of linearity, absolute recovery, matrix effects, accuracy, intraday/interday precision, and trueness. The method was applied to a set of freshwater fish samples collected in 2020 in the immediate vicinity (creek, n = 15) and downstream (river, n = 15) of an active fire-training area at an international civilian airport in Ontario, Canada. While zwitterionic fluorotelomer betaines were major components of the subsurface AFFF source zone, they were rarely detected in fish, suggesting limited bioaccumulation potential. PFOS largely dominated the PFAS profile, with record-high concentrations in brook sticklebacks (Culaea inconstans) from the creek (16000-110,000 ng/g wet weight whole-body). These levels exceeded the Canadian Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines (FEQG) for PFOS pertaining to the Federal Fish Tissue Guideline (FFTG) for fish protection and Federal Wildlife Diet Guidelines (FWiDG) for the protection of mammalian and avian consumers of aquatic biota. Perfluorohexane sulfonamide and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate were among the precursors detected at the highest levels (maximum of ∼340 ng/g and ∼1100 ng/g, respectively), likely reflecting extensive degradation and/or biotransformation of C6 precursors originally present in AFFF formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Cruz Carrizo
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; CONICET, CIBICI and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Dpto. Bioquímica Clínica, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Gabriel Munoz
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sung Vo Duy
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Min Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Magali Houde
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - María Valeria Amé
- CONICET, CIBICI and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Dpto. Bioquímica Clínica, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Jinxia Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sébastien Sauvé
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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9
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Pickard HM, Ruyle BJ, Thackray CP, Chovancova A, Dassuncao C, Becanova J, Vojta S, Lohmann R, Sunderland EM. PFAS and Precursor Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Recreational Fish: Implications for Fish Advisories. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:15573-15583. [PMID: 36280234 PMCID: PMC9670858 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse class of fluorinated anthropogenic chemicals that include perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA), which are widely used in modern commerce. Many products and environmental samples contain abundant precursors that can degrade into terminal PFAA associated with adverse health effects. Fish consumption is an important dietary exposure source for PFAS that bioaccumulate in food webs. However, little is known about bioaccumulation of PFAA precursors. Here, we identify and quantify PFAS in recreational fish species collected from surface waters across New Hampshire, US, using a toolbox of analytical methods. Targeted analysis of paired water and tissue samples suggests that many precursors below detection in water have a higher bioaccumulation potential than their terminal PFAA. Perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA), a short-chain precursor produced by electrochemical fluorination, was detected in all fish samples analyzed for this compound. The total oxidizable precursor assay interpreted using Bayesian inference revealed fish muscle tissue contained additional, short-chain precursors in high concentration samples. Suspect screening analysis indicated these were perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide precursors with three and five perfluorinated carbons. Fish consumption advisories are primarily being developed for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), but this work reinforces the need for risk evaluations to consider additional bioaccumulative PFAS, including perfluoroalkyl sulfonamide precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi M. Pickard
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Bridger J. Ruyle
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Colin P. Thackray
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Adela Chovancova
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Clifton Dassuncao
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Eastern
Research Group, Inc., Arlington, Virginia 22201, United States
| | - Jitka Becanova
- Graduate
School of Oceanography, University of Rhode
Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, United States
| | - Simon Vojta
- Graduate
School of Oceanography, University of Rhode
Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, United States
| | - Rainer Lohmann
- Graduate
School of Oceanography, University of Rhode
Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, United States
| | - Elsie M. Sunderland
- Harvard
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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10
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Munoz G, Mercier L, Duy SV, Liu J, Sauvé S, Houde M. Bioaccumulation and trophic magnification of emerging and legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a St. Lawrence River food web. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 309:119739. [PMID: 35817301 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in freshwater ecosystems has focused primarily on legacy compounds and little is still known on the presence of emerging PFAS. Here, we investigated the occurrence of 60 anionic, zwitterionic, and cationic PFAS in a food web of the St. Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada) near a major metropolitan area. Water, sediments, aquatic vegetation, invertebrates, and 14 fish species were targeted for analysis. Levels of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) in river water exceeded those of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and a zwitterionic betaine was observed for the first time in the St. Lawrence River. The highest mean PFAS concentrations were observed for the benthopelagic top predator Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu, Σ60PFAS ∼ 92 ± 34 ng/g wet weight whole-body) and the lowest for aquatic plants (0.52-2.3 ng/g). Up to 33 PFAS were detected in biotic samples, with frequent occurrences of emerging PFAS such as perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA) and perfluoroethyl cyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS), while targeted ether-PFAS all remained undetected. PFOS and long-chain perfluorocarboxylates (C10-C13 PFCAs) dominated the contamination profiles in biota except for insects where PFBA was predominant. Gammarids, molluscs, and insects also had frequent detections of PFOA and fluorotelomer sulfonates, an important distinction with fish and presumably due to different metabolism. Based on bioaccumulation factors >5000 and trophic magnification factors >1, long-chain (C10-C13) PFCAs, PFOS, perfluorodecane sulfonate, and perfluorooctane sulfonamide qualified as very bioaccumulative and biomagnifying. Newly monitored PFAS such as FBSA and PFECHS were biomagnified but moderately bioaccumulative, while PFOA was biodiluted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Munoz
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Laurie Mercier
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sung Vo Duy
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jinxia Liu
- Department of Civil Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sébastien Sauvé
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Magali Houde
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Liang X, Yang X, Jiao W, Zhou J, Zhu L. Simulation modelling the structure related bioaccumulation and biomagnification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic food web. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156397. [PMID: 35660442 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Until now, there is no bioaccumulation model to predict bioaccumulation of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic organisms due to their unique amphiphilic properties. For the first time, protein contents instead of lipid contents of organisms were used in bioaccumulation models to predict the concentrations and reveal the accumulation mechanisms of PFASs in various aquatic organisms, based on the available data. Comparison between the modeled and measured results indicated the models were promising to predict the PFAS concentrations in the fishes at different trophic levels very well, as well as their bioaccumulation factors (BAF) and trophic magnification factors (TMF) of PFASs in fish. Both water and sediment are important exposure sources of PFASs in aquatic organisms. As the two main uptake pathways, the contribution of gill respiratory decreases while that of dietary intake increases with the chain length of PFASs increasing. Fecal excretion and gill respiration are the main pathways for fish to eliminate PFASs, and their relative contributions increase and decrease respectively with chain length. The short-chain (C6-C8) perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are greatly eliminated via gill respiratory quickly, leading to their very low BAFs. As the carbon chain length increases, dietary intake becomes dominant in the uptake, while elimination is mainly through fecal excretion with relatively low rates, especially in the fishes with high protein contents. For the very long chain (C12-C16) PFASs, they are very difficult to excrete with a low total elimination rate constant (ke = 0.463-0.743 d-1), thus leading to their high BAFs and TMFs. The high intake rate but low elimination rate, as well as the high water and sediment concentrations together contribute to the highest accumulated concentration perfluorooctane sulfonic acid in the fish of Taihu Lake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxue Liang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Xinyi Yang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Wenqing Jiao
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China
| | - Jian Zhou
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China.
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shanxi Province 712100, PR China.
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