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Rekik H, Arab H, Pichon L, El Khakani MA, Drogui P. Per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) eternal pollutants: Sources, environmental impacts and treatment processes. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 358:142044. [PMID: 38648982 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become a growing environmental concern due to their tangible impacts on human health. However, due to the large number of PFAS compounds and the analytical difficulty to identify all of them, there are still some knowledge gaps not only on their impact on human health, but also on how to manage them and achieve their effective degradation. PFAS compounds originate from man-made chemicals that are resistant to degradation because of the presence of the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in their chemical structure. This review consists of two parts. In the first part, the environmental effects of fluorinated compound contamination in water are covered with the objective to highlight how their presence in the environment adversely impacts the human health. In the second part, the focus is put on the different techniques available for the degradation and/or separation of PFAS compounds in different types of waters. Examples of removal/treatment of PFAS present in either surface or ground water are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hela Rekik
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) - Centre Eau Terre Environnement (ETE), 490 Rue de la Couronne, Québec (QC), G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Hamed Arab
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) - Centre Eau Terre Environnement (ETE), 490 Rue de la Couronne, Québec (QC), G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Loick Pichon
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650, Blvd, Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC, J3X-1P7, Canada
| | - My Ali El Khakani
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650, Blvd, Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC, J3X-1P7, Canada
| | - Patrick Drogui
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) - Centre Eau Terre Environnement (ETE), 490 Rue de la Couronne, Québec (QC), G1K 9A9, Canada.
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2
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Zhang Y, Meng J, Zhou Y, Song N, Zhao Y, Hong M, Yu J, Cao L, Dou Y, Kong D. Transport and health risk of legacy and emerging per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the water cycle in an urban area, China: Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters are of concern. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 920:171010. [PMID: 38369148 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171010] [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: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) are a group of emerging alternatives to the legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). To better understand the transport and risk of PAPs in the water cycle, 21 PFAS including 4 PAPs and 17 perfluoroalkyl acids were investigated in multiple waterbodies in an urban area, China. PFAS concentrations ranged from 85.8 to 206 ng/L, among which PAPs concentrations ranged from 35.0 to 71.8 ng/L, in river and lake water with major substances of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 6:2 fluorotelomer phosphate (6:2 monoPAP), and 8:2 fluorotelomer phosphate (8:2 monoPAP). As transport pathways, municipal wastewater and precipitation were investigated for PFAS mass loading estimation, and PAPs transported via precipitation more than municipal wastewater discharge. Concentrations of PFAS in tap water and raw source water were compared, and PAPs cannot be removed by drinking water treatment. In tap water, PFAS concentrations ranged from 132 to 271 ng/L and among them PAPs concentrations ranged from 41.6 to 61.9 ng/L. Human exposure and health risk to PFAS via drinking water were assessed, and relatively stronger health risks were induced from PFOS, PAPs, and PFOA. The environmental contamination and health risk of PAPs are of concern, and management implications regarding their sources, exposure, and hazards were raised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueqing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Jing Meng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health Effects, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yunqiao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ninghui Song
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Yaxin Zhao
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
| | - Minghui Hong
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Jia Yu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Li Cao
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Yezhi Dou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Deyang Kong
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environment and Ecology of China, Nanjing 210042, China.
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Zhao M, Yin N, Yang R, Li S, Zhang S, Faiola F. Understanding the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on early skin development: Role of ciliogenesis inhibition and altered microtubule dynamics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169702. [PMID: 38163615 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169702] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of highly stable chemicals, widely used in everyday products, and widespread in the environment, even in pregnant women. While epidemiological studies have linked prenatal exposure to PFAS with atopic dermatitis in children, little is known about their toxic effects on skin development, especially during the embryonic stage. In this study, we utilized human embryonic stem cells to generate non-neural ectoderm (NNE) cells and exposed them to six PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), heptafluorobutyric acid (PFBA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorobutyric acid (PFBS)) during the differentiation process to assess their toxicity to early skin development. Our results showed that PFOS altered the spindle-like morphology of NNE cells to a pebble-like morphology, and disrupted several NNE markers, including KRT16, SMYD1, and WISP1. The six PFAS had a high potential to cause hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) by disrupting the expression levels of HED-relevant genes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that PFOS treatment produced the highest number (1156) of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the six PFAS, including the keratinocyte-related genes KRT6A, KRT17, KRT18, KRT24, KRT40, and KRT81. Additionally, we found that PFOS treatment disturbed several signaling pathways that are involved in regulating skin cell fate decisions and differentiation, including TGF-β, NOTCH, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways. Interestingly, we discovered that PFOS inhibited, by partially interfering with the expression of cytoskeleton-related genes, the ciliogenesis of NNE cells, which is crucial for the intercellular transduction of the above-mentioned signaling pathways. Overall, our study suggests that PFAS can inhibit ciliogenesis and hamper the transduction of important signaling pathways, leading potential congenital skin diseases. It sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of early embryonic skin developmental toxicity and provides an explanation for the epidemiological data on PFAS. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: We employed a model based on human embryonic stem cells to demonstrate that PFOS has the potential to elevate the risk of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. This is achieved by targeting cilia, inhibiting ciliogenesis, and subsequently disrupting crucial signaling pathways like TGF-β, NOTCH, Hedgehog, and Hippo, during the early phases of embryonic skin development. Our study highlights the dangers and potential impacts of six PFAS pollutants on human skin development. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of closely considering PFHxA, PFBA, PFHxS, and PFBS, as they have shown the capacity to modify gene expression levels, albeit to a lesser degree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Nuoya Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Renjun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shichang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shuxian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Francesco Faiola
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Ao J, Tang W, Liu X, Ao Y, Zhang Q, Zhang J. Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) as PFAS substitutes and precursors: An overview. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 464:133018. [PMID: 37984148 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133018] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) are emerging substitutes for legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are widely applied in consumer products and closely related to people's daily lives. Increasing concern has been raised about the safety of PAPs due to their metabolism into perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs) in vivo. This review summarizes the current knowledge on PAPs and highlights the knowledge gaps. PAPs dominated the PFAS profiles in wastewater, sludge, household dust, food-contact materials, paper products, paints, and cosmetics. They exhibit biomagnification due to their higher levels in top predators. PAPs have been detected in human blood worldwide, with the highest mean levels being found in the United States (1.9 ng/mL) and China (0.4 ng/mL). 6:2 diPAP is the predominant PAP among all identified matrices, followed by 8:2 diPAP. Toxicokinetic studies suggest that after entering the body, most PAPs undergo biotransformation, generating phase Ⅰ (i.e., PFCAs), phase II, and intermediate products with toxicity to be verified. Several epidemiological and toxicological studies have reported the antiandrogenic effect, estrogenic effect, thyroid disruption, oxidative damage, and reproductive toxicity of PAPs. More research is urgently needed on the source and fate of PAPs, human exposure pathways, toxicity other than reproductive and endocrine systems, toxic effects of metabolites, and mixed exposure effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Ao
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Weifeng Tang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaoning Liu
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yan Ao
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Qianlong Zhang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
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Xu Y, Guo Y, Qian L, Su Z, Chen QY, Wang J, Jiang L. Fluoroether Double-Chain Phosphate Surfactants: An Exploration of Alternatives to Fluorotelomer Surfactants. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:1316-1326. [PMID: 38156971 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
While legacy fluorosurfactants have already been categorized as persistent organic pollutants, there appeared to be many strategies to develop alternatives. In this work, fluoroether double-chain phosphate surfactants (C72 diPAP-Na and C72 diPAP-NH4) were designed and synthesized with the initial intention of exploring the creation of new fluorosurfactants containing oxygen heteroatoms in the fluorocarbon chain segments to provide an alternative to the legacy long-chain fluorosurfactants. Furthermore, it was expected that they would even exceed the existing 6:2 fluorotelomer surfactants (6:2 diPAP-Na and 6:2 diPAP-NH4). Compared with characterizations of surface activity, foam performance, and wettability, the results showed that each of them has its own distinctive performance. Although the C72 series as new fluoroether surfactants cannot fully replace the 6:2 series of fluorosurfactants in terms of performance, there is a possibility of substitution in some aspects, which is of positive significance for further exploration to improve alternatives to legacy fluorosurfactants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Xu
- School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
- Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yong Guo
- Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Libo Qian
- Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhaoben Su
- Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qing-Yun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Nitrogen Chemistry and Advanced Materials, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jinmin Wang
- School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Lijun Jiang
- Sanming Hexafluo Chemicals Company, Ltd., Fluorinated New Material Industry Park, Mingxi, Sanming 365200, Fujian, China
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Parker BA, Valentini E, Graham SE, Starr JM. In vitro modeling of the post-ingestion bioaccessibility of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances sorbed to soil and house dust. Toxicol Sci 2023; 197:95-103. [PMID: 37740396 PMCID: PMC10942096 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfad098] [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] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are regularly found in soils and dusts, both of which can be consumed by children at relatively high amounts. However, there is little data available to model the bioaccessibility of PFAS in soils and dusts when consumed or to describe how the physiochemical properties of PFAS and soils/dusts might affect bioaccessibility of these chemicals. Because bioaccessibility is an important consideration in estimating absorbed dose for exposure and risk assessments, in the current study, in vitro assays were used to determine bioaccessibility of 14 PFAS in 33 sets of soils and dusts. Bioaccessibility assays were conducted with and without a sink, which was used to account for the removal of PFAS due to their movement across the human intestine. Multiple linear regression with backward elimination showed that a segmented model using PFAS chain length, number of branches, and percent total organic carbon explained 78.0%-88.9% of the variability in PFAS bioaccessibility. In general, PFAS had significantly greater bioaccessibility in soils relative to dusts and the addition of a sink increased bioaccessibility in the test system by as much as 10.8% for soils and 20.3% for dusts. The results from this study indicate that PFAS bioaccessibility in soils and dusts can be predicted using a limited set of physical chemical characteristics and could be used to inform risk assessment models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany A Parker
- Office of Research and Development, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - Evelyn Valentini
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - Stephen E Graham
- Office of Pesticide Programs, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA
| | - James M Starr
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA
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Sinha S, Chaturvedi A, Gautam RK, Jiang JJ. Molecular Cu Electrocatalyst Escalates Ambient Perfluorooctanoic Acid Degradation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:27390-27396. [PMID: 38064755 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater reservoirs contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) need purifying remedies. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is the most abundant PFAS in drinking water. Although different degradation strategies for PFOA have been explored, none of them disintegrates the PFOA backbone rapidly under mild conditions. Herein, we report a molecular copper electrocatalyst that assists in the degradation of PFOA up to 93% with a 99% defluorination rate within 4 h of cathodic controlled-current electrolysis. The current-normalized pseudo-first-order rate constant has been estimated to be quite high for PFOA decomposition (3.32 L h-1 A-1), indicating its fast degradation at room temperature. Furthermore, comparatively, rapid decarboxylation over the first 2 h of electrolysis has been suggested to be the rate-determining step in PFOA degradation. The related Gibbs free energy of activation has been calculated as 22.6 kcal/mol based on the experimental data. In addition, we did not observe the formation of short-alkyl-chain PFASs as byproducts that are typically found in chain-shortening PFAS degradation routes. Instead, free fluoride (F-), trifluoroacetate (CF3COO-), trifluoromethane (CF3H), and tetrafluoromethane (CF4) were detected as fragmented PFOA products along with the evolution of CO2 using gas chromatography (GC), ion chromatography (IC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques, suggesting comprehensive cleavage of C-C bonds in PFOA. Hence, this study presents an effective method for the rapid degradation of PFOA into small ions/molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumalya Sinha
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
| | - Ashwin Chaturvedi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
| | - Rajeev K Gautam
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
| | - Jianbing Jimmy Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
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Husøy T, Caspersen IH, Thépaut E, Knutsen H, Haug LS, Andreassen M, Gkrillas A, Lindeman B, Thomsen C, Herzke D, Dirven H, Wojewodzic MW. Comparison of aggregated exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from diet and personal care products with concentrations in blood using a PBPK model - Results from the Norwegian biomonitoring study in EuroMix. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 239:117341. [PMID: 37839534 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117341] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a large group of compounds that are water, stain, and oil repellent. Numerous sources contribute to the blood levels of PFAS in the European population. The main contributor for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is food, house dust, consumer products and personal care products (PCPs). OBJECTIVES The purpose of the present work is to calculate the dietary and dermal external exposure to PFOA, estimate the aggregated internal exposure from diet and PCPs using a PBPK model, and compare estimates with measured concentrations. METHODS Detailed information on diet and PCP use from the EuroMix study is combined with concentration data of PFOA in food and PCPs in a probabilistic exposure assessment. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model (PBPK) was further refined by incorporating a dermal exposure pathway, and changes in the kidney and faecal excretion. RESULTS The aggregated internal exposure using the PBPK model shows that the major contributor to the internal exposure is diet for both males and females. The estimated internal exposure of PFOA for the EuroMix population was in the same range but lower than the measured blood concentrations using the lower bound (LB) external exposure estimates, showing that the LB estimates are underestimations. For seven females the internal exposure of PFOA were higher from PCPs than from diet. CONCLUSION PCPs and diet contributed in the same range to the internal PFOA exposure for several women participating in EuroMix. This calls for additional studies on exposure to PFOA and possibly other PFAS from PCPs, especially for women. Overall, PBPK modelling was shown as valuable tool in understanding the sources of PFOA exposure and in guiding risk assessments and regulatory decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Husøy
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway.
| | - I H Caspersen
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - E Thépaut
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - H Knutsen
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway
| | - L S Haug
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway
| | - M Andreassen
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - A Gkrillas
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - B Lindeman
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway
| | - C Thomsen
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway
| | - D Herzke
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - H Dirven
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - M W Wojewodzic
- The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Oslo, Norway; The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Centre for Sustainable Diets, Oslo, Norway; Cancer Registry of Norway, Section for Molecular Epidemiology and Infections, Oslo, Norway
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9
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Zheng G, Eick SM, Salamova A. Elevated Levels of Ultrashort- and Short-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Acids in US Homes and People. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:15782-15793. [PMID: 37818968 PMCID: PMC10603771 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) make up a large group of fluorinated organic compounds extensively used in consumer products and industrial applications. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the two perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) with 8 carbons in their structure, have been phased out on a global scale because of their high environmental persistence and toxicity. As a result, shorter-chain PFAAs with less than 8 carbons in their structure are being used as their replacements and are now widely detected in the environment, raising concerns about their effects on human health. In this study, 47 PFAAs and their precursors were measured in paired samples of dust and drinking water collected from residential homes in Indiana, United States, and in blood and urine samples collected from the residents of these homes. Ultrashort- (with 2 or 3 carbons [C2-C3]) and short-chain (with 4-7 carbons [C4-C7]) PFAAs were the most abundant in all four matrices and constituted on average 69-100% of the total PFAA concentrations. Specifically, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, C2) and perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA, C3) were the predominant PFAAs in most of the samples. Significant positive correlations (n = 81; r = 0.23-0.42; p < 0.05) were found between TFA, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, C4), and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA, C7) concentrations in dust or water and those in serum, suggesting dust ingestion and/or drinking water consumption as important exposure pathways for these compounds. This study demonstrates that ultrashort- and short-chain PFAAs are now abundant in the indoor environment and in humans and warrants further research on potential adverse health effects of these exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guomao Zheng
- School
of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Stephanie M. Eick
- Gangarosa
Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
- Department
of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Amina Salamova
- Gangarosa
Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
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Quan B, Tang J, Niu X, Su P, Zhang Z, Yang Y. Elaborating the Occurrence and Distribution of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Rivers and Sediment around a Typical Aging Landfill in China. TOXICS 2023; 11:852. [PMID: 37888702 PMCID: PMC10611052 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11100852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are bioaccumulative and widely distributed persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Understanding the distribution of and ecological risks posed by PFASs is critical, particularly for PFAS emissions and accumulation from a common urban pollution source. The transformation characteristics and ecological risks of PFASs from a typical aging municipal landfill leachate were systematically monitored and assessed over five years in this study. The results showed that the total PFAS concentrations (ΣPFASs) in the rivers were between 26.4 and 464.3 ng/L, whereas in sediment, ΣPFASs ranged from 9.5 to 58.5 ng/g (w/w). The presence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the most prominent PFAS in both water (39.4-152.3 ng/L) and sediment (1.1-56.1 ng/g). In a five-year monitoring study, the concentration of PFASs in the aging landfill decreased by 23.3%, with higher mean concentrations observed during summer (307.6 ng/L) compared to winter (250.4 ng/L). As for the pollution distribution, the suspended particulate matter-water partition coefficient (log Kd) of carboxylic acid (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (PFSAs) ranged from 1.53 to 2.65, and from 1.77 to 2.82, respectively. PFSAs and long-chain PFCAs exhibited a greater propensity for sediment association compared to short-chain PFCAs. An ecological risk assessment of four typical PFASs, PFOA, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS), utilizing the hazard quotient method revealed that the rivers surrounding the typical aging landfill exhibited a low contamination risk for PFOA, while no ecological risks were associated with the other three FPASs. This study contributes to an enhanced comprehension of the occurrence, distribution, and risk of PFASs in the rivers in rivers and sediment surrounding a typical aging landfill site in China, thereby providing crucial reference information for ensuring water quality safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingxu Quan
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; (B.Q.); (P.S.)
| | - Jiawei Tang
- National Institute of Low Carbon and Clean Energy, Beijing 102211, China
| | - Xiameng Niu
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; (B.Q.); (P.S.)
| | - Peidong Su
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; (B.Q.); (P.S.)
| | - Zhimin Zhang
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; (B.Q.); (P.S.)
| | - Yitao Yang
- School of Science, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
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11
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Timshina AS, Sobczak WJ, Griffin EK, Lin AM, Townsend TG, Bowden JA. Up in the air: Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) in airborne dust captured by air conditioning (AC) filters. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 325:138307. [PMID: 36878365 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138307] [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: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitously present in our indoor living environments. Dust is thought to accumulate PFAS released indoors and serve as an exposure pathway for humans. Here, we investigated whether spent air conditioning (AC) filters can be exploited as opportunistic samplers of airborne dust for assessing PFAS burden in indoor environments. Used AC filters from campus facilities (n = 19) and homes (n = 11) were analyzed for 92 PFAS via targeted ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). While 27 PFAS were measured (in at least one filter), the predominant species were polyfluorinated dialkylated phosphate esters (diPAPs), with the sum of 6:2-, 8:2-, and 6:2/8:2diPAPs accounting for approximately 95 and 98 percent of ∑27PFAS in campus and household filters, respectively. Exploratory screening of a subset of the filters revealed the presence of additional species of mono-, di-, and tri-PAPs. Considering the constant human exposure to dust indoors and the potential of PAPs to degrade into terminal species with well-established toxicological risks, assessing dust for these precursor PFAS warrants further investigation with respect to both human health and PFAS loading to landfills from this under studied waste stream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina S Timshina
- University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - William J Sobczak
- University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Emily K Griffin
- University of Florida, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology & Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Ashley M Lin
- University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Timothy G Townsend
- University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - John A Bowden
- University of Florida, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; University of Florida, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology & Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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12
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Kaiser AM, Forsthuber M, Widhalm R, Granitzer S, Weiss S, Zeisler H, Foessleitner P, Salzer H, Grasl-Kraupp B, Moshammer H, Hartmann C, Uhl M, Gundacker C. Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and pregnancy outcome in Austria. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 259:115006. [PMID: 37182303 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of persistent industrial chemicals that can harm reproductive health. PFAS levels were analysed to determine the current sources of exposure and possible associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and adverse pregnancy outcome. Samples from 136 mother-newborn pairs recruited between 2017 and 2019 were analysed for the presence of 31 target PFAS in maternal serum, umbilical cord serum, and placental tissue by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Questionnaires and medical records were used to survey sources of exposure and pregnancy outcome, including small for gestational age (SGA), fetal growth restriction (FGR), preeclampsia (PE), preterm birth, large for gestational age (LGA) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data were analysed for individual PFAS and sum4PFAS (sum of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) serum levels) in logistic regression analyses and categorical regression analyses. Compared to data from a previous Viennese study in 2010-12, sum4PFAS levels were generally lower. Sum4PFAS serum levels of three women (2.2%) exceeded 6.9 µg/L, a level that corresponds to the recently established tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of EFSA for nursing mothers aged 35 years; in the 2010/2012 study it was 13.6%. The large contribution of unidentified extractable organofluorine (EOF) fractions to total PFAS exposure is a concern. Study site, mean maternal corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), use of facial lotion, and owning upholstered furniture were significantly influencing maternal exposure. While no effect of sum4PFAS on pregnancy outcome could be detected, we found highest placental PFDA levels in SGA births. PFHxS levels in umbilical cord and placenta were highest in preterm births. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship of prenatal PFAS exposure and pregnancy outcome, in particular to confirm whether and how placental PFDA levels may contribute to an increased risk for SGA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas-Marius Kaiser
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Forsthuber
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Raimund Widhalm
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian Granitzer
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Weiss
- Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald Zeisler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Foessleitner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital St. Pölten, A-3100 St. Pölten, Austria
| | - Hans Salzer
- Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Tulln, A-3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Bettina Grasl-Kraupp
- Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hanns Moshammer
- Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Maria Uhl
- Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Gundacker
- Institute of Medical Genetics, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
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13
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Zhu Y, Li Y, Liu X, Yang X, Song X, Jia Y, Zhong W, Zhu L. Bioaccessibility of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food and dust: Implication for more accurate risk assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 868:161739. [PMID: 36690103 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161739] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) mainly through oral exposure route, while little is known about their bioaccessibility (BC) in oral matrices. Here, the BC of 13 PFASs in simulated vegetable (VFs) and animal foods (AFs) as well as indoor dust was investigated using a physiology-based extraction test. The BC of PFASs in the AFs (78.5 ± 13.6 %) was distinctly higher than that in the VFs (60.6 ± 13.4 %), because high-saturated and long-chain fatty acids in the animal fat favored formation of more stable micelles. The BC of most long-chain PFASs was positively correlated with the protein content while negatively correlated with the carbohydrate content in the foods. The BC of polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diesters was negatively correlated with the lipid content. The BC of the very long-chain PFASs in the foods was 2.42-6.02 times higher than that in the dust, which might be attributed to their strong sequestration in dust. With the increase in bile salt concentration, the BC of PFASs in food increased and then remained constant, which was related to the changes in fatty acids and stability of the formed micelles. Comparing with the previous results obtained from animal study, the BC obtained in this study has the potential to predict PFAS bioavailability in food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Yuqing Li
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Xiaosong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Xin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Xiaohua Song
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Yibo Jia
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Wenjue Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, PR China.
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14
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Du D, Lu Y, Li Q, Zhou Y, Cao T, Cui H, Han G. Estimating industrial process emission and assessing carbon dioxide equivalent of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts in China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161507. [PMID: 36642265 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution and climate change are closely linked because many greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants come from the same source. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are new pollutants that have received high attention in recent years, as they are not only harmful to human health, but also important contributors to climate change. Therefore, PFCs are the key gases for the coordinated governance of air pollution and climate change. With the geographical shift of fluoropolymer production, the main emitters of perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts (PFOA/PFO) moved from North America, Europe and Japan to emerging Asian economies, especially China. In this study, industrial sources of PFOA/PFO in the Chinese atmosphere were identified, and its atmospheric emissions, carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and environmental risks were assessed. China released about 38.19 tons PFOA/PFO into the atmosphere through industrial activities in 2019, 97 % of which originated from the production of fluoropolymers. PFOA/PFO showed aggregative emission along the eastern coastal zone, especially in the Yangtze River Delta. Cumulative PFOA/PFO emission from all provinces equaled to 0.28-0.47 million tons CO2e, of which Jiangsu and Zhejiang took the lead, while Shanghai's CO2-equivalent emissions intensity of PFOA/PFO in terms of area, population, gross domestic product (GDP), and industrial added value took the first in China. The available monitoring data on atmospheric concentration of PFOA in urban and rural China implied that its distribution pattern was similar to PFOA/PFO emissions, that is, the concentrations in the eastern regions with the highest degree of industrialization were significantly higher than that in the central and western regions, and the PFOA concentrations in urban China were higher than that in the rural, which proved that industrial use was an important source of PFOA pollution and would cause significant risks to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Du
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yonglong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science and Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian 361102, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Qifeng Li
- Bureau of Major R&D Programs, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
| | - Yunqiao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tianzheng Cao
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Haotian Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guoxiang Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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15
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Pocar P, Grieco V, Aidos L, Borromeo V. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Their Effects in Pet Dogs and Cats: An Overview. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030378. [PMID: 36766267 PMCID: PMC9913107 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past few decades, several pollutants classified as environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have become a matter of significant public health concern. Companion animals play a major role in human society, and pet ownership is substantially increasing worldwide. These intimate human-pet relationships imply sharing much of the same environment, thus including exposure to similar levels of EDCs in daily routine. Here, we review the current knowledge on the sources and routes of exposure to EDCs in domestic indoor and outdoor environments and discuss whether endocrine disruption is a health concern in pets. We summarize the phenomenon of endocrine disruption, providing examples of EDCs with a known impact on dog and cat health. Then, we propose an overview of the literature on the adverse effects of EDCs in domestic pets, with a special focus on the health of reproductive and thyroid systems. Finally, we explore the potential role of companion animals as unintentional sentinels of environmental exposure to EDCs and the implications for public health risk assessment in a "shared risk" scenario. Overall, this review supports the need for an integrated approach considering humans, animals, and the environment as a whole for a comprehensive assessment of the impact of EDCs on human and animal health.
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16
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East A, Egeghy PP, Hubal EAC, Slover R, Vallero DA. Computational estimates of daily aggregate exposure to PFOA/PFOS from 2011 to 2017 using a basic intake model. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023; 33:56-68. [PMID: 34373583 PMCID: PMC10568366 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-021-00374-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances has been modeled to estimate serum concentrations. Given that the production and use of these compounds have decreased in recent years, especially PFOA and PFOS, and that additional concentration data have become available from the US and other industrialized countries over the past decade, aggregate median intakes of these two compounds were estimated using more recent data. METHODS Summary statistics from secondary sources were collected, averaged, and mapped for indoor and outdoor air, water, dust, and soil for PFOA and PFOS to estimate exposures for adults and children. European dietary intake estimates were used to estimate daily intake from food. RESULTS In accordance with decreased concentrations in media, daily intake estimates among adults, i.e., 40 ng/day PFOA and 40 ng/day PFOS, are substantially lower than those reported previously, as are children's estimates of 14 ng/day PFOA and 17 ng/day PFOS. Using a first-order pharmacokinetic model, these results compare favorably to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey serum concentration measurements. CONCLUSION Concomitant blood concentrations support this enhanced estimation approach that captures the decline of PFOA/PFOS serum concentration over a decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander East
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Peter P Egeghy
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Elaine A Cohen Hubal
- U.S. EPA, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Rachel Slover
- U.S. EPA, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Daniel A Vallero
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
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17
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Li J, Wang L, Zhang X, Liu P, Deji Z, Xing Y, Zhou Y, Lin X, Huang Z. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and its influence on the intestinal barrier: An overview on the advances. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 852:158362. [PMID: 36055502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of artificially synthetic organic compounds that are hardly degraded in the natural environment. PFAS have been widely used for many decades, and the persistence and potential toxicity of PFAS are an emerging concern in the world. PFAS exposed via diet can be readily absorbed by the intestine and enter the circulatory system or accumulate directly at intestinal sites, which could interact with the intestine and cause the destruction of intestinal barrier. This review summarizes current relationships between PFAS exposure and intestinal barrier damage with a focus on more recent toxicological studies. Exposure to PFAS could cause inflammation in the gut, destruction of the gut epithelium and tight junction structure, reduction of the mucus layer, and induction of the toxicity of immune cells. PFAS accumulation could also induce microbial disorders and metabolic products changes. In addition, there are limited studies currently, and most available studies converge on the health risk of PFAS exposure for human intestinal disease. Therefore, more efforts are deserved to further understand potential associations between PFAS exposure and intestinal dysfunction and enable better assessment of exposomic toxicology and health risks for humans in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaoyang Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Agriculture, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Zhuoma Deji
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Yudong Xing
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Xia Lin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China
| | - Zhenzhen Huang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, PR China.
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18
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Cahuas L, Muensterman DJ, Kim-Fu ML, Reardon PN, Titaley IA, Field JA. Paints: A Source of Volatile PFAS in Air─Potential Implications for Inhalation Exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17070-17079. [PMID: 36367233 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04864] [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] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Paints are widely used in indoor settings yet there are no data for volatile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for paints or knowledge if paints are potentially important sources of human exposure to PFAS. Different commercial paints (n = 27) were collected from local hardware stores and analyzed for volatile PFAS by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), nonvolatile PFAS by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-qTOF), and total fluorine by 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Diluted paint required clean up to remove 6:2 fluorotelomer phosphate diester (diPAP), which thermally transforms into 6:2 FTOH at 280 °C (GC inlet temperature). Only 6:2 FTOH (0.9-83 μg/g) and 6:2 diPAP (0.073-58 μg/g) were found in five exterior and nine interior paints and only accounted for a maximum of 17% of total fluorine. Upon drying, 40% of the FTOH mass was lost, and the loss was verified by measurements of the cumulative FTOH mass measured in the air of a small, confined space over a 3 h period. Based on the liquid paint results, the ConsExpo model was used for potential exposure assessment and one commercial paint exceeded the chosen reference dose (5 μg/kg-day) for children and adults, indicating the potential for human exposure during painting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Cahuas
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Derek J Muensterman
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Mitchell L Kim-Fu
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Patrick N Reardon
- Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Ivan A Titaley
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Jennifer A Field
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
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19
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Young AS, Pickard HM, Sunderland EM, Allen JG. Organic Fluorine as an Indicator of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Dust from Buildings with Healthier versus Conventional Materials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:17090-17099. [PMID: 36331119 PMCID: PMC9730836 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of thousands of persistent, organic fluorinated chemicals added to materials and products mainly to repel stains and water. PFAS have been associated with many adverse human health effects. We aimed to determine whether buildings with "healthier" materials─defined here as reportedly free of all PFAS─exhibit lower PFAS in dust. In addition to analyzing targeted PFAS with available commercial standards, we measured extractable organic fluorine (EOF) as a novel proxy that includes both known and unknown types of PFAS. We measured at least 15 targeted PFAS (n = 24), EOF (n = 24), and total fluorine (TF; n = 14) in dust collected from university common spaces and classrooms, half of which had "healthier" furniture and carpet. We observed lower PFAS contamination in buildings with "healthier" materials: "healthier" rooms had a 66% lower median summed PFAS and a 49% lower Kaplan-Meier estimated mean EOF level in dust in comparison to conventional rooms. The summed targeted PFAS were significantly correlated with EOF but accounted for up to only 9% of EOF, indicating the likely presence of unidentified PFAS. EOF levels explained less than 1% of TF in dust. We emphasize the need to use chemical class-based methods (e.g., EOF) for evaluating class-based solutions and to expand non-PFAS solutions for other building materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S. Young
- HarvardT. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts02115, United States
| | - Heidi M. Pickard
- HarvardJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts02134, United States
| | - Elsie M. Sunderland
- HarvardT. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts02115, United States
- HarvardJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts02134, United States
| | - Joseph G. Allen
- HarvardT. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts02115, United States
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20
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Gustafsson Å, Wang B, Gerde P, Bergman Å, Yeung LWY. Bioavailability of inhaled or ingested PFOA adsorbed to house dust. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:78698-78710. [PMID: 35699877 PMCID: PMC9587079 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20829-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Indoor environments may impact human health due to chemical pollutants in the indoor air and house dust. This study aimed at comparing the bioavailability and distribution of PFOA following both an inhalation and an oral exposure to PFOA coated house dust in rats. In addition, extractable organofluorine (EOF) was measured in different tissue samples to assess any potential influence of other organofluorine compounds in the experimental house dust. Blood samples were collected at sequential time points after exposure and at the time of termination; the lungs, liver, and kidney were collected for quantification of PFOA and EOF. The concentration of PFOA in plasma increased rapidly in both exposure groups attaining a Cmax at 3 h post exposure. The Cmax following inhalation was four times higher compared to oral exposures. At 48 h post exposure, the levels of PFOA in the plasma, liver, and kidney were twice as high from inhalation exposures. This shows that PFOA is readily bioavailable and has a rapid systemic distribution following an inhalation or oral exposure to house dust coated with PFOA. The proportion of PFOA to EOF corresponded to 65-71% and 74-87% in plasma and tissues, respectively. The mass balance between EOF and target PFOA indicates that there might be other unknown PFAS precursor and/or fluorinated compounds that co-existed in the house dust sample that can have accumulated in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Åsa Gustafsson
- MTM Research Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Bei Wang
- MTM Research Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Per Gerde
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Inhalation Sciences AB, Hälsovägen 7-9, SE-141 57, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Åke Bergman
- MTM Research Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leo W Y Yeung
- MTM Research Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden
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21
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Harris KJ, Munoz G, Woo V, Sauvé S, Rand AA. Targeted and Suspect Screening of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14594-14604. [PMID: 36178710 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic chemicals reported in cosmetics and personal care products as ingredients, possible impurities in the raw material manufacturing process, or degradation products. The purpose of this study was to further delineate contributions of these varying PFAS sources to these products. Thirty-eight cosmetics and personal care products were selected and analyzed for polyfluoroalkyl phosphates (PAPs), perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), fluorotelomer sulfonic acids (FTSAs), and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs) using targeted liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A subset of products was also subjected to suspect screening using LC-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for >200 compounds. Results of LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS indicated a predominant and ubiquitous presence of PAPs (detection frequency 99.7%, mean and median ΣPAPs 1 080 000 and 299 ng/g). Total median PFCA and PFSA concentrations were 3 and 38 times lower, respectively. There were significant correlations (Spearman's correlation coefficients = 0.60-0.81, p < 0.05) between 6:2 PAPs and their biotransformation products. Low levels of other PFAS classes were detected, including those previously measured in wastewater and human blood (e.g., hydrido-PFCAs), and five compounds associated with aqueous film-forming foams. Overall, these data highlight that cosmetics and personal care products can contain a breadth of PFAS at extremely high levels, leading to human and environmental exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keegan J Harris
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Gabriel Munoz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Montréal, Montréal H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Vivian Woo
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Sébastien Sauvé
- Department of Chemistry, University of Montréal, Montréal H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Amy A Rand
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
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22
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Jane L Espartero L, Yamada M, Ford J, Owens G, Prow T, Juhasz A. Health-related toxicity of emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Comparison to legacy PFOS and PFOA. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113431. [PMID: 35569538 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent, manufactured chemicals used in various manufacturing processes and found in numerous commercial products. With over 9000 compounds belonging to this chemical class, there is increasing concern regarding human exposure to these compounds due to their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic nature. Human exposure to PFAS may occur from a variety of exposure sources, including, air, food, indoor dust, soil, water, from the transfer of PFAS from non-stick wrappers to food, use of cosmetics, and other personal care products. This critical review presents recent research on the health-related impacts of PFAS exposure, highlighting compounds other than Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluoroctane sulfonate (PFOS) that cause adverse health effects, updates the current state of knowledge on PFAS toxicity, and, where possible, elucidates cause-and-effect relationships. Recent reviews identified that exposure to PFAS was associated with adverse health impacts on female and male fertility, metabolism in pregnancy, endocrine function including pancreatic dysfunction and risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, lipid metabolism and risk of childhood adiposity, hepatic and renal function, immune function, cardiovascular health (atherosclerosis), bone health including risk for dental cavities, osteoporosis, and vitamin D deficiency, neurological function, and risk of developing breast cancer. However, while cause-and-effect relationships for many of these outcomes were not able to be clearly elucidated, it was identified that 1) the evidence derived from both animal models and humans suggested that PFAS may exert harmful impacts on both animals and humans, however extrapolating data from animal to human studies was complicated due to differences in exposure/elimination kinetics, 2) PFAS precursor kinetics and toxicity mechanism data are still limited despite ongoing exposures, and 3) studies in humans, which provide contrasting results require further investigation of the long-term-exposed population to better evaluate the biological toxicity of chronic exposure to PFAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lore Jane L Espartero
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia
| | - Miko Yamada
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia
| | - Judith Ford
- University of Sydney, New South Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Gary Owens
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tarl Prow
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia; Skin Research Centre, York Biomedical Research Institute, Hull York Medical School, University of York, United Kingdom
| | - Albert Juhasz
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, Australia.
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23
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Gustafsson Å, Bergman Å, Weiss JM. Estimated daily intake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances related to different particle size fractions of house dust. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 303:135061. [PMID: 35649447 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Indoor environmental pollutants are a threat to human health. In the current study, we analysed 25 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in seven different size fraction of house dust including the two relevant for exposure via ingestion and inhalation. The highest PFAS concentration is found in the inhalable particulate fraction which is explained by the increased surface area as the particulate's sizes decrease. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of the individual PFAS and exposure pathways were calculated for children and adults. In addition, the total EDI for PFOA and its precursors was estimated. The polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid diesters (diPAP), followed by PFOA and PFHxA fluortelomer, showed the highest concentrations of PFAS analysed. The cumulative EDI of PFAS for children was 3.0 ng/kg bw per day, a worst-case scenario, which is 17 times higher than the calculated EDI for adults. For children, ingestion of dust was found to result in 800 times higher PFOA exposure than via inhalation. The contribution from PFOA precursors corresponded to only 1% of the EDI from dust indicating PFOA as the main source of exposure. The EDI's of PFOA and PFOS from dust were lower than the calculated EDI's from food ingestion reported by the Swedish Food Agency. Our data indicate that the EDI for the sum of four PFASs: PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS from dust intake alone is close to the established tolerable weakly intake of 4.4 ng/kg bw in children, set by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020. The combined EDI levels PFOA and PFOS from both dust and food exceeded the EFSA TWI for both children and adults. This study demonstrates that dust is a relevant exposure pathway for PFAS intake and that analysis of relevant particle size fractions is important for evaluation of dust as an exposure pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Åsa Gustafsson
- MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Åke Bergman
- MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82, Örebro, Sweden; Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jana M Weiss
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
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24
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Cao L, Liao Y, Su C, Tang L, Qi Z, Wei L, Wu J, Gao S. Effects of PFOA on the physicochemical properties of anaerobic granular sludge: Performance evaluation, microbial community and metagenomic analysis. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 313:114936. [PMID: 35390655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The impact of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on the anaerobic granular sludge was evaluated through a sequential batch experiment. Results showed that PFOA inhibited the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate of the sludge and the dosage of 100 mg/L PFOA was more obvious. However, this negative effect would gradually weaken with the adaptation of microorganisms. For the 50 mg/L PFOA experimental group, the proteins content in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the anaerobic granular sludge increased from 1.53 mg/g to 3.65 mg/g. Meanwhile, PFOA inhibited the 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyltetrazolium chloride (INT) activity of the anaerobic granular sludge. Furthermore, 100 mg/L PFOA reduced the relative abundance of Proteobacteria by 5.99% and Longilinea by 1.11%. 100 mg/L PFOA mainly restricted COD removal by affecting the glycolysis process, with the abundances of glucokinase and pyruvate kinase reduced by 8% and 28.1%, respectively. Compared with the control group, the relative abundance of the methyl-coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit increased by 84%, respectively, under 100 mg/L PFOA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Cao
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Yongde Liao
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Chengyuan Su
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China; University Key Laboratory of Karst Ecology and Environmental Change of Guangxi Province (Guangxi Normal University), 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China.
| | - Linqin Tang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Zhifei Qi
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Lixin Wei
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Jinyan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Shu Gao
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
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25
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Ahmadireskety A, Da Silva BF, Robey NM, Douglas TE, Aufmuth J, Solo-Gabriele HM, Yost RA, Townsend TG, Bowden JA. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Street Sweepings. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:6069-6077. [PMID: 34596397 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
One hundred and seventeen street sweeping samples were collected and analyzed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Fifty-six samples were collected in one city (Gainesville, Florida) allowing for an in-depth city-wide characterization. Street sweepings from five other urban areas, (Orlando, n = 15; Key West, n = 15; Pensacola, n = 12; Tampa, n = 13; and Daytona Beach, n = 6) were analyzed to provide a city-to-city comparison of PFAS. Within our analytical workflow, 37 PFAS were quantified across all samples, while the maximum number of PFAS quantified at one site was 26. Of those PFAS quantified in Gainesville, 60% were perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and 33% were precursors to PFAA. Among the PFAAs, short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were the dominant class representing 26% of the total PFAS by concentration. In the comparison across different urban cities, the dominant compound by concentration and frequency of detection varied; however, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and linear perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOSlin) were the two PFAS that were detected the most frequently. This study documents the first-time detection of hexadecafluorosebacic acid and perfluoro-3,6,9-trioxaundecane-1,11-dioic acid within environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atiye Ahmadireskety
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Bianca F Da Silva
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Nicole M Robey
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Thomas E Douglas
- Public Works Department, Solid Waste Division, City of Gainesville, Gainesville, Florida 32653, United States
| | - Joe Aufmuth
- George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32603, United States
| | - Helena M Solo-Gabriele
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, College of Engineering, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States
| | - Richard A Yost
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Timothy G Townsend
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - John A Bowden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
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26
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Xu R, Tao W, Lin H, Huang D, Su P, Gao P, Sun X, Yang Z, Sun W. Effects of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) on Soil Microbial Community. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:929-941. [PMID: 34283261 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01808-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The extensive application of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) causes their frequent detection in various environments. In this work, two typical PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are selected to investigate their effects on soil microorganisms. Microbial community structure and microbe-microbe relationships were investigated by high-throughput sequencing and co-occurrence network analysis. Under 90 days of exposure, the alpha-diversity of soil microbial communities was increased with the PFOS treatment, followed by the PFOA treatment. The exposure of PFASs substantially changed the compositions of soil microbial communities, leading to the enrichment of more PFASs-tolerant bacteria, such as Proteobacteria, Burkholderiales, and Rhodocyclales. Comparative co-occurrence networks were constructed to investigate the microbe-microbe interactions under different PFASs treatments. The majority of nodes in the PFOA and PFOS networks were associated with the genus Azospirillum and Hydrogenophaga, respectively. The LEfSe analysis further identified a set of biomarkers in the soil microbial communities, such as Azospirillum, Methyloversatilis, Hydrogenophaga, Pseudoxanthomonas, and Fusibacter. The relative abundances of these biomarkers were also changed by different PFASs treatments. Functional gene prediction suggested that the microbial metabolism processes, such as nucleotide transport and metabolism, cell motility, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, and secondary metabolites biosynthesis transport and catabolism, might be inhibited under PFAS exposure, which may further affect soil ecological services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xu
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Wan Tao
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Hanzhi Lin
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Duanyi Huang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingzhou Su
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Pin Gao
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Xiaoxu Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Zhaohui Yang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Weimin Sun
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-Environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China.
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
- School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.
- Key Laboratory of Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, 808 Tianyuan Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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27
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DeLuca NM, Minucci JM, Mullikin A, Slover R, Cohen Hubal EA. Human exposure pathways to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from indoor media: A systematic review. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 162:107149. [PMID: 35240384 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been primarily attributed to contaminated food and drinking water. There is information indicating other sources and pathways of exposure in residential environments, but few studies report relationships between these indoor media and human biomonitoring measurements. METHODS This study adapts existing systematic review tools and methodologies to synthesize evidence for PFAS exposure pathways from indoor environment media including consumer products, household articles, cleaning products, personal care products, and indoor air and dust. Studies were identified using innovative machine learning approaches and pathway-specific search strings to reduce time needed for literature search and screening. The included studies and systematic review were evaluated using tools modified specifically for exposure studies. The systematic review was conducted following a previously published protocol (DeLuca et al., 2021) that describes the systematic review methodology used in detail. RESULTS Only 7 studies were identified that measured the targeted subset of 8 PFAS chemicals in concordant household media (primarily house dust) and participant serum. Data extracted from the included studies were used to calculate exposure intake rates and estimate a percentage of occupant serum concentrations that could be attributed to the indoor exposure pathways. These calculations showed that exposure to PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFHxS from contaminated house dust could account for 13%, 3%, 7%, and 25% of serum concentrations, respectively. Inhalation of PFAS in indoor air could account for less than 4% of serum PFOA concentrations and less than 2% of serum PFOS and PFNA concentrations. A risk of bias was identified due to participant profiles in most of the studies being skewed towards white, female, and higher socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS Along with synthesizing evidence for estimated contributions to serum PFAS levels from indoor exposure media, this systematic review also identifies a consistent risk of bias across exposure study populations that should be considered in future studies. It highlights a major research gap and need for studies that measure concordant data from both indoor exposure media and participant serum and the need for continued research on exposure modeling parameters for many PFAS chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M DeLuca
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
| | - Jeffrey M Minucci
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Ashley Mullikin
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Rachel Slover
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Elaine A Cohen Hubal
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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28
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Zheng P, Liu Y, An Q, Yang X, Yin S, Ma LQ, Liu W. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to emerging and legacy per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances: Levels and transfer in maternal serum, cord serum, and breast milk. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 812:152446. [PMID: 34952085 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Gestation and lactation are critical and vulnerable stages for fetuses and newborns. During these periods, per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) accumulated in mothers can be transferred to newborns through placenta and/or breastfeeding, causing potential health risks. To investigate the pre- and postnatal PFAS exposure of newborns, we analyzed 21 emerging and legacy PFASs in 60 sets of matched maternal serum, cord serum, and breast milk samples. In serum, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonates (6:2 Cl-PFESA) were the most predominant PFASs, while PFOA, PFOS and 6:2 fluorotelomer phosphate diester (6:2 diPAP) contributed most to breast milk. For most PFASs, the levels followed the order of maternal serum > cord serum > breast milk. The 6:2 Cl-PFESA was positively associated with birth weight and ponderal index (p < 0.05). The breastfeeding transfer efficiencies (RBM, median: 0.02-0.10) of most PFASs were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than transplacental transfer efficiencies (RCM, median: 0.40-1.45), except for perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) showing high transfer efficiency both through placenta (median at 0.89) and breastfeeding (median at 0.86). The one-month postnatal exposure to PFASs via breastfeeding was much higher than prenatal exposure in utero. This study enhances the understanding of transplacental and breastfeeding transfer of PFASs and provides assessments of prenatal and postnatal exposure of newborns to emerging and legacy PFASs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Zheng
- MOE Key Lab. of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Environmental Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yingxue Liu
- MOE Key Lab. of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Environmental Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qi An
- MOE Key Lab. of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Environmental Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaomeng Yang
- MOE Key Lab. of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Environmental Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shanshan Yin
- Zhejiang Province (ZJP) Key Lab. of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention, Interdisciplinary Research Academy (IRA), Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, China
| | - Lena Q Ma
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Weiping Liu
- Zhejiang Province (ZJP) Key Lab. of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention, Interdisciplinary Research Academy (IRA), Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, China; MOE Key Lab. of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Environmental Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Jia S, Marques Dos Santos M, Li C, Snyder SA. Recent advances in mass spectrometry analytical techniques for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Anal Bioanal Chem 2022; 414:2795-2807. [PMID: 35132477 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-03905-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitous presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various environments has led to increasing concern, and these chemicals have been confirmed as global contaminants. Following the chemical regulatory restrictions imposed, PFAS alternatives that are presumed to be less toxic have been manufactured to replace the traditional ones in the market. However, owing to the original release and alternative usage, continuous accumulation of PFAS has been reported in environmental and human samples, with uncertain consequences for ecosystem and human health. It is crucial to promote and improve existing analytical techniques to facilitate the detection of trace amounts of PFAS in diverse environmental matrices. This review summarizes analytical methods that have been applied to and advanced for targeted detection and suspect screening of PFAS, which mainly include (i) sampling and sample preparation methods for various environment matrices and organisms, and quality assurance/quality control during the analysis process, and (ii) quantitative methods for targeted analysis and automated suspect screening strategies for non-targeted PFAS analysis, together with their applications, advantages, shortcomings, and need for new method development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenglan Jia
- Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141, Singapore
| | - Mauricius Marques Dos Santos
- Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141, Singapore
| | - Caixia Li
- Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141, Singapore
| | - Shane A Snyder
- Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, Singapore, 637141, Singapore.
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Zhao Z, Yue L, Qiao H, Li Y, Cheng X, Hua X, Lin T, Li Q, Sun H. Perfluoroalkyl acids in dust on residential indoor/outdoor window glass in Chinese cities: occurrence, composition, and toddler exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:13881-13892. [PMID: 34595719 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16653-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The dust on indoor and outdoor surfaces of the window glasses were collected using sterile cotton balls in 11 cities from China. Two sampling campaigns were conducted with the time interval of 7 days to investigate the accumulation especially during the Spring festival holidays. Twenty-nine perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) were quantified to investigate concentration, composition, and toddlers' exposure. The concentrations of ∑PFAA ranged from no detection (nd) to 43 ng/m2 (mean 8.9 ± 10 ng/m2). Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was detected in 78% samples and accounted for 55 ± 21% of ∑PFAA concentrations. 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) were detected in more than 50% samples indicating the use of alternatives. Fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (FTCA) and fluorotelomer unsaturated acid (FTUCA) were found in the dust, implying the degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH). The highest concentration of ∑PFAA (43 ng/m2) was found in outdoor dust from Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. Higher ∑PFAA concentrations were found in indoor dust than outdoor in 6 paired samples (3 from Feb. 14 and 3 from Feb. 21). In Tianjin and Handan, the concentrations of ∑PFAA from outdoor surfaces were higher in sampling campaign I (SC I, Feb. 21) than in sampling campaign II (SC II, Feb. 14), implying intensive outdoor release. The exposure of 2-year-old toddlers to PFAA via hand-to-mouth ingestion and dermal absorption was estimated; the mean values of intake were 2.1 and 1.5 pg/kg body weight, respectively, assuming an exposure time of 1 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhao
- College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Linxia Yue
- Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hongqin Qiao
- Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Yinong Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Xianghui Cheng
- Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Xia Hua
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Tian Lin
- College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Qilu Li
- Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - Hongwen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
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31
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Savvaides T, Koelmel JP, Zhou Y, Lin EZ, Stelben P, Aristizabal-Henao JJ, Bowden JA, Godri Pollitt KJ. Prevalence and Implications of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Settled Dust. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 8:323-335. [PMID: 34985714 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-021-00326-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of more than 7,000 fluorinated compounds. The carbon-fluorine bond of PFAS provides desirable hydrophobic and oleophobic properties and stability that has led to widespread usage in consumer products and industrial applications. The strength of the carbon-fluorine bond also prevents appreciable degradation once released into the environment. Consequently, various household products can release volatile and nonvolatile PFAS into the indoor environment that often concentrate in dust. We discuss the diversity of PFAS in settled dust, emission sources of these chemicals, changes in PFAS profiles in dust over the past century, and the implications for human health. RECENT FINDINGS Sources of PFAS found in dust include building materials and furnishings and consumer products used in typical indoor spaces. Daycares and workplaces are emphasized as locations with widespread exposure due to the presence of treated carpeting and industrial-strength cleaners. Comparison and interpretation of findings across studies are complicated by the different ways in which PFAS are screened across studies. We further discuss recent developments in non-targeted software for the comprehensive annotation of PFAS in indoor dust and emphasize the need for comprehensive and harmonized analytical workflows. We highlight the detection and diversity of PFAS in settled dust collected from various indoor spaces, including locations with vulnerable subpopulations. There are opportunities for future research to leverage settled dust as a sentinel environmental matrix to evaluate the link between inhalation and ingestion routes of PFAS exposure to adverse health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Savvaides
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy P Koelmel
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Yakun Zhou
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Elizabeth Z Lin
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Paul Stelben
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Juan J Aristizabal-Henao
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Human and Environmental Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - John A Bowden
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Human and Environmental Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Krystal J Godri Pollitt
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, Room 510, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
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32
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Costopoulou D, Vassiliadou I, Leondiadis L. PFASs intake from fish, eggs and drinking water in Greece in relation to the safety limits for weekly intake proposed in the EFSA scientific opinion of 2020. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 286:131851. [PMID: 34391114 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131851] [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: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Food consumption has been recognized as the most significant contributor to human exposure to polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for the general population. In 2020, EFSA introduced for the first time safety limit of 4.4 ng/kg body weight (bw) for weekly intake for the sum of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) which are all perfluoralkyl acids (PFAAs) that belong to PFASs group. Fish and eggs have been found to contribute significantly, almost 50 % to PFOS and PFOA dietary intake of the Greek population. In the present study, estimation of human intake of these four PFASs from fish, eggs and drinking water consumption is attempted. Data from EFSA food consumption database for fish and eggs are used for assessment. Mean weekly intake estimated is above the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) recently proposed, mainly due to fish consumption. Exceedance of the proposed TWI emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of levels of PFASs in food in parallel with efforts to lower these levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danae Costopoulou
- Mass Spectrometry and Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, INRASTES, NCSR "Demokritos", 15310, Athens, Greece.
| | - Irene Vassiliadou
- Mass Spectrometry and Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, INRASTES, NCSR "Demokritos", 15310, Athens, Greece
| | - Leondios Leondiadis
- Mass Spectrometry and Dioxin Analysis Laboratory, INRASTES, NCSR "Demokritos", 15310, Athens, Greece
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33
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Heo DG, Lee DC, Kwon YM, Seol MJ, Sung Moon J, Min Chung S, Kim JH. Simultaneous Determination of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid in Korean Sera Using LC-MS/MS. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2022; 1192:123138. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Yao Y, Meng Y, Sun H. Heterogeneous photooxidation of 6:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid diester on dust mineral components under simulated sunlight and the influence of relative humidity and oxygen. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 281:130713. [PMID: 34023761 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid diesters (diPAPs) have been widely and increasingly detected in various environmental mediums. The degradation of diPAPs brings perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) concerned of adverse health effects. DiPAPs mainly occur in particulate matter in ambient air and their photo-degradation behaviors have not been investigated. In this study, heterogeneous photo-degradation of 6:2 diPAP was studied on four model mineral components in ambient dust. 6:2 diPAP was found to undergo a fast degradation on titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles as well as on artificial mineral dust containing TiO2 (2.67% in mass) to produce C5-C7 PFCAs and other intermediates. Based on monitored intermediates and further degradation tests on important intermediates, thermodynamic calculation of energy barrier and Gibbs Free Energy was used to explain the observed degradation patterns and accordingly the degradation pathways of diPAPs were proposed. The increase in relative humidity promotes the production of hydroxyl radicals, which enhances the hydrolysis of 6:2 mono- and di-PAPs and the yield of C5 and C7 PFCAs. Oxygen is critical for radical formation, which bypasses the production of fluorotelomer carboxylic acid. Results of this study for the first time demonstrate that diPAP may account for additional PFCA sources in both indoor and outdoor environments and the heterogeneous degradation pathways were different from those of volatile fluorotelomer alcohols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Yue Meng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Hongwen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
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35
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Weiss JM, Jones B, Koekkoek J, Bignert A, Lamoree MH. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Swedish household dust and exposure of pet cats. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:39001-39013. [PMID: 33745045 PMCID: PMC8310504 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13343-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are used in a wide range of products and have been found ubiquitously in our indoor environment, and there is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse endocrine effects, such as thyroid hormone disruption. Pet cats have a high dust intake due to their grooming behavior and have been shown to be a suitable sentinel species for assessment of toddler's exposure. Here we used paired household dust (n=46) and cat serum (n=27) samples to establish whether dust is a relevant exposure pathway to PFASs. An analytical method for PFAS analysis was optimized using a low volume of cat serum samples, combining solid-phase extraction and online sample cleanup. Dust was extracted with methanol by sonication and cleaned up by addition of active carbon. In total, 27 PFASs were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. The correlation between PFAS levels in dust and serum, serum lipids and thyroid hormone levels, and PFAS levels in dust between different rooms were statistically evaluated. PFOS and PFDA could be quantified in all cat serum samples (median 2300 pg/mL and 430 pg/mL, respectively), followed by PFOA (median 1100 pg/mL), quantified in 96% of the samples. The levels of 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs were determined in 65% and 92% of the serum samples, respectively, and were an order of magnitude lower (1.4-160 pg/mL). Household dust on the other hand was dominated by 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs, with a median of 65 ng/g dust and 49 ng/g dust, respectively. PFOS (median 13 ng/g dust) and PFOA (median 9 ng/g dust) were quantified in 93% of the dust samples. Only eight PFASs were detected (>LOD) in at least 50% of the samples of both matrices and could be paired. Significant correlations between cat serum and dust were found for PFOA (rS=0.32, p<0.049) and PFUnDA (rS=0.55, p<0.001). Significant positive correlations were found between serum total thyroxine (rS=0.11, p<0.05) and PFNA and between serum cholesterol and PFHpA (rS=0.46, p<0.01), PFUnDA (rS=0.40, p<0.05), PFDoDA (rS=0.44, p<0.01), and sum PFAS (rS=0.48, p<0.01). In conclusion, this study confirmed that dust is a relevant exposure pathway for the ingestion of some PFASs for cats, and the serum levels of PFASs could be of relevance for the cat's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana M Weiss
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 12, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Bernt Jones
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jacco Koekkoek
- Department Environment & Health, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anders Bignert
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Svante Arrheniusväg 12, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marja H Lamoree
- Department Environment & Health, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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36
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Zhao S, Liu T, Zhu L, Yang L, Zong Y, Zhao H, Hu L, Zhan J. Formation of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) during the exposure of earthworms to 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143356. [PMID: 33158528 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) is a novel perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) alternative used globally in aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs). Although 6:2 FTSA has been recently detected in the environment, its fate in terrestrial invertebrates remains unclear. The uptake, elimination and biotransformation of 6:2 FTSA in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were investigated after in vivo and in vitro exposure. 6:2 FTSA could be biodegraded by microorganisms in soil to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFPrA), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). The uptake rate constant (ku) and biota-to-soil accumulation factor (BSAF) of 6:2 FTSA in earthworms were 0.185 goc/gww/d and 0.685 goc/gww, respectively, indicating high bioaccumulative ability in earthworms. Five terminal perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) metabolites, including TFA, PFPrA, PFBA, PFPeA and PFHxA were observed in both in vivo and in vitro exposure tests, with TFA as the predominant metabolite. However, no perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) was observed in the present study. The elimination rate constants (ke) increased in the order: 6:2 FTSA (0.057/d) < TFA (0.058/d) < PFPrA (0.071/d) < PFBA (0.084/d) < PFHxA (0.182/d) < PFPeA (0.193/d). Biodegradation of 6:2 FTSA in the earthworm homogenates, cytolchrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme solutions and glutathione-s-transferase (GST) enzyme solutions fitted well with the first order kinetics. The biotransformation rate constants (k) were in the following order: homogenates (0.012/h) > CYP450 (0.009/h) > GST (0.007/h), implying that CYP450 and GST were involved in biotransformation of 6:2 FTSA in earthworms. This study provides important theoretical evidence for the fate of 6:2 FTSA in earthworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China.
| | - Tianqi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Liping Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Yvlu Zong
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Huanting Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Longhui Hu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Jingjing Zhan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Ocean Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, Liaoning, PR China
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37
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Schroeder T, Bond D, Foley J. PFAS soil and groundwater contamination via industrial airborne emission and land deposition in SW Vermont and Eastern New York State, USA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2021; 23:291-301. [PMID: 33443261 DOI: 10.1039/d0em00427h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
In order to understand the extent to which airborne PFAS emission can impact soil and groundwater, we conducted a sampling campaign in areas of conserved forest lands near Bennington, VT/Hoosick Falls, NY. This has been home to sources of PFAS air-emissions from Teflon-coating operations for over 50 years. Since 2015, the Vermont and New York Departments of Environmental Conservation have documented ∼1200 residential wells and two municipal water systems across a 200 km2 area contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Given the large areal extent of the plume, and the fact that much of the contaminated area lies up-gradient and across rivers from manufactures, we seek to determine if groundwater contamination could have resulted primarily from air-emission, land deposition, and subsequent leaching to infiltrating groundwater. Sampling of soils and groundwater in the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) downwind of factories shows that both soil and groundwater PFOA contamination extend uninterrupted from inhabited areas into conserved forest lands. Groundwater springs and seeps in the GMNF located 8 km downwind, but >300 meters vertically above factories, contain up to 100 ppt PFOA. Our results indicate that air-emitted PFAS can contaminate groundwater and soil in areas outside of those normally considered down-gradient of a source with respect to regional groundwater flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schroeder
- Bennington College, 1 College Drive, Bennington, VT 05201, USA.
| | - David Bond
- Bennington College, 1 College Drive, Bennington, VT 05201, USA.
| | - Janet Foley
- Bennington College, 1 College Drive, Bennington, VT 05201, USA.
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38
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De Silva AO, Armitage JM, Bruton TA, Dassuncao C, Heiger-Bernays W, Hu XC, Kärrman A, Kelly B, Ng C, Robuck A, Sun M, Webster TF, Sunderland EM. PFAS Exposure Pathways for Humans and Wildlife: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge and Key Gaps in Understanding. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:631-657. [PMID: 33201517 PMCID: PMC7906948 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 91.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We synthesize current understanding of the magnitudes and methods for assessing human and wildlife exposures to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Most human exposure assessments have focused on 2 to 5 legacy PFAS, and wildlife assessments are typically limited to targeted PFAS (up to ~30 substances). However, shifts in chemical production are occurring rapidly, and targeted methods for detecting PFAS have not kept pace with these changes. Total fluorine measurements complemented by suspect screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry are thus emerging as essential tools for PFAS exposure assessment. Such methods enable researchers to better understand contributions from precursor compounds that degrade into terminal perfluoroalkyl acids. Available data suggest that diet is the major human exposure pathway for some PFAS, but there is large variability across populations and PFAS compounds. Additional data on total fluorine in exposure media and the fraction of unidentified organofluorine are needed. Drinking water has been established as the major exposure source in contaminated communities. As water supplies are remediated, for the general population, exposures from dust, personal care products, indoor environments, and other sources may be more important. A major challenge for exposure assessments is the lack of statistically representative population surveys. For wildlife, bioaccumulation processes differ substantially between PFAS and neutral lipophilic organic compounds, prompting a reevaluation of traditional bioaccumulation metrics. There is evidence that both phospholipids and proteins are important for the tissue partitioning and accumulation of PFAS. New mechanistic models for PFAS bioaccumulation are being developed that will assist in wildlife risk evaluations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:631-657. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Carla Ng
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anna Robuck
- University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI USA
| | - Mei Sun
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC USA
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39
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Zhang W, Pang S, Lin Z, Mishra S, Bhatt P, Chen S. Biotransformation of perfluoroalkyl acid precursors from various environmental systems: advances and perspectives. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 272:115908. [PMID: 33190976 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely used in industrial production and daily life because of their unique physicochemical properties, such as their hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, surface activity, and thermal stability. Perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) and perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) are the most studied PFAAs due to their global occurrence. PFAAs are environmentally persistent, toxic, and the long-chain homologs are also bioaccumulative. Exposure to PFAAs may arise directly from emission or indirectly via the environmental release and degradation of PFAA precursors. Precursors themselves or their conversion intermediates can present deleterious effects, including hepatotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, and genetic toxicity. Therefore, exposure to PFAA precursors constitutes a potential hazard for environmental contamination. In order to comprehensively evaluate the environmental fate and effects of PFAA precursors and their connection with PFSAs and PFCAs, we review environmental biodegradability studies carried out with microbial strains, activated sludge, plants, and earthworms over the past decade. In particular, we review perfluorooctyl-sulfonamide-based precursors, including perfluroooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) and its N-ethyl derivative (EtFOSA), N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido ethanol (EtFOSE), and EtFOSE-based phosphate diester (DiSAmPAP). Fluorotelomerization-based precursors are also reviewed, including fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH), fluorotelomer sulfonates (FTSA), and a suite of their transformation products. Though limited information is currently available on zwitterionic PFAS precursors, a preliminary review of data available for 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide betaine (FTAB) was also conducted. Furthermore, we update and refine the recent knowledge on biotransformation strategies with a focus on metabolic pathways and mechanisms involved in the biotransformation of PFAA precursors. The biotransformation of PFAA precursors mainly involves the cleavage of carbon-fluorine (C-F) bonds and the degradation of non-fluorinated functional groups via oxidation, dealkylation, and defluorination to form shorter-chained PFAAs. Based on the existing research, the current problems and future research directions on the biotransformation of PFAA precursors are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Shimei Pang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Ziqiu Lin
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Sandhya Mishra
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Pankaj Bhatt
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Shaohua Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
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Bălan SA, Mathrani VC, Guo DF, Algazi AM. Regulating PFAS as a Chemical Class under the California Safer Consumer Products Program. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2021; 129:25001. [PMID: 33595352 PMCID: PMC7888260 DOI: 10.1289/ehp7431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of manmade chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. The widespread use, large number, and diverse chemical structures of PFAS pose challenges to any sufficiently protective regulation, emissions reduction, and remediation at contaminated sites. Regulating only a subset of PFAS has led to their replacement with other members of the class with similar hazards, that is, regrettable substitutions. Regulations that focus solely on perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are ineffective, given that nearly all other PFAS can generate PFAAs in the environment. OBJECTIVES In this commentary, we present the rationale adopted by the State of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for regulating PFAS as a class in certain consumer products. DISCUSSION We at the California DTSC propose regulating certain consumer products if they contain any member of the class of PFAS because: a) all PFAS, or their degradation, reaction, or metabolism products, display at least one common hazard trait according to the California Code of Regulations, namely environmental persistence; and b) certain key PFAS that are the degradation, reaction or metabolism products, or impurities of nearly all other PFAS display additional hazard traits, including toxicity; are widespread in the environment, humans, and biota; and will continue to cause adverse impacts for as long as any PFAS continue to be used. Regulating PFAS as a class is thus logical, necessary, and forward-thinking. This technical position may be helpful to other regulatory agencies in comprehensively addressing this large class of chemicals with common hazard traits. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7431.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Andreea Bălan
- Safer Consumer Products Program, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Vivek Chander Mathrani
- Safer Consumer Products Program, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Dennis Fengmao Guo
- Safer Consumer Products Program, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - André Maurice Algazi
- Safer Consumer Products Program, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California, USA
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Shahsavari E, Rouch D, Khudur LS, Thomas D, Aburto-Medina A, Ball AS. Challenges and Current Status of the Biological Treatment of PFAS-Contaminated Soils. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 8:602040. [PMID: 33490051 PMCID: PMC7817812 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.602040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOCs) which are of current concern as they are linked to a myriad of adverse health effects in mammals. They can be found in drinking water, rivers, groundwater, wastewater, household dust, and soils. In this review, the current challenge and status of bioremediation of PFAs in soils was examined. While several technologies to remove PFAS from soil have been developed, including adsorption, filtration, thermal treatment, chemical oxidation/reduction and soil washing, these methods are expensive, impractical for in situ treatment, use high pressures and temperatures, with most resulting in toxic waste. Biodegradation has the potential to form the basis of a cost-effective, large scale in situ remediation strategy for PFAS removal from soils. Both fungal and bacterial strains have been isolated that are capable of degrading PFAS; however, to date, information regarding the mechanisms of degradation of PFAS is limited. Through the application of new technologies in microbial ecology, such as stable isotope probing, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics there is the potential to examine and identify the biodegradation of PFAS, a process which will underpin the development of any robust PFAS bioremediation technology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Duncan Rouch
- School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Leadin S Khudur
- School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Duncan Thomas
- School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Andrew S Ball
- School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.,ARC Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia's Biosolids Resource, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
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Kung YP, Lin CC, Chen MH, Tsai MS, Hsieh WS, Chen PC. Intrauterine exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances may harm children's lung function development. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 192:110178. [PMID: 32991923 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUA), are common persistent environmental organic pollutants. Animal studies have indicated that PFAS influence inflammatory responses and lung development. However, whether prenatal or childhood PFAS exposure affects children's lung function remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate both in utero exposure and childhood exposure to PFAS and the relationships between them and lung function development in childhood. METHODS In total, 165 children were recruited from the Taiwan Birth Panel Study (TBPS). Cord blood plasma and children's serum were collected when they were eight years old. PFAS levels were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. When these children reached eight years of age, we administered detailed questionnaires and lung function examinations. RESULTS The mean concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFUA in cord blood among the 165 study children were 2.4, 6.4, 6.0, and 15.4 ng/mL, respectively. The mean concentrations in serum from eight-year-olds were 2.7, 5.9, 0.6, and 0.3 ng/mL, respectively. At eight years of age, the mean FEV1 (forced expiratory volume per sec), FVC (forced vital capacity), PEF (peak expiratory flow) and FEV1/FVC values were 1679 mL, 1835 mL, 3846 mL/s and 92.0%, respectively. PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFUA levels in cord blood were inversely associated with FEV1, FVC and PEF values. The PFOS concentration in cord blood was the most consistently correlated with decreasing lung function before and after adjusting for confounding factors. The PFOS concentration was also significantly inversely correlated with lung function in subgroups with lower birth weight and allergic rhinitis. CONCLUSIONS Our cohort study revealed that the concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFUA were higher in cord blood than in serum from eight-year-olds. Some trends were also noted between intrauterine PFOS exposure and children's decreasing FEV1, FVC and PEF, especially in subgroups with lower birth weight and allergic rhinitis. Therefore, intrauterine PFAS exposure, especially PFOS, may play a vital role in lung development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Ping Kung
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Chun Lin
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Huei Chen
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Shan Tsai
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wu-Shiun Hsieh
- Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Pau-Chung Chen
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Public Health, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan; Innovation and Policy Center for Population Health and Sustainable Environment, National Taiwan University College of Public Health, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Xu F, Chen D, Liu X, Guan Q, Tan H, Zhou D, Shi Y, Liu J, Hu Y. Emerging and legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in house dust from South China: Contamination status and human exposure assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 192:110243. [PMID: 32980300 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Our study investigated a large variety of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in house dust collected from Guangzhou, South China during 2015-2018. The perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) exhibited the highest median concentration (17.6 ng/g), followed by linear perfluorooctanoic acid (L-PFOA; 4.8 ng/g), linear perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (L-PFOS; 4.2 ng/g), 6:2 fluorotelomer phosphate diester (6:2 diPAP; 3.4 ng/g), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA; 1.2 ng/g) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUdA; 1.2 ng/g), and 6:2 chlorinated perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid (6:2 Cl-PFESA; 1.1 ng/g). Total concentrations of PFASs (median: 53 ng/g) were generally within the 25-50 percentile of the concentration range reported in global studies. However, our samples exhibited composition profiles different from those reported in many other regions. Analysis based on this and previous studies revealed that the compositions in house dust from East Asia, North America, and Europe exhibit a region-specific pattern. This may indicate region-specific market demands, application patterns, as well as associated human exposure risks. Exploration of dwelling characterizations suggested that renovation history appeared to be a significant factor influencing PFAS concentrations in house dust, although other factors may exist and play a role. Estimation of daily intakes via dust ingestion and dermal contact indicates low exposure risks from these two pathways. However, the PFAS chemical-specific biological effects, possible mixture effects, as well as additional exposure pathways, imply that the risk from indoor PFAS exposure should not be overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangping Xu
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Da Chen
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Xiaotu Liu
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Qingxia Guan
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Hongli Tan
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Daming Zhou
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Yumeng Shi
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
| | - Yongxia Hu
- School of Environment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China.
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Wang P, Zhang M, Li Q, Lu Y. Atmospheric diffusion of perfluoroalkyl acids emitted from fluorochemical industry and its associated health risks. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106247. [PMID: 33276313 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The fluorochemical industry is an important emission source of atmospheric perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). In this study, air samples were collected through active high-volume air samplers coupled with Tissuquartz™ filters around a fluorochemical manufacturer, and analyzed for PFAAs levels. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was dominant with concentrations as high as 9730 pg/m3, followed by short chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). The PFAAs in the air were compared to those measured in outdoor dust and rain collected in the same area. Short chain PFCAs had a greater distribution in air, while PFOA was more distributed in dust and rain. With increasing concentrations, a significant decreasing trend for PFOA was observed in rain (P < 0.05). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of PFOA via indoor air inhalation by five age groups were calculated in two scenarios, and compared to the strictest tolerable daily intake (TDI) of PFOA (≤0.63 ng/kg bw/day). Potential health risk occurred in the best-case scenario, while the EDI from the worst-case scenario was comparable to that via indoor dust ingestion, indicating a notable health risk. This suggests that in terms of PFOA exposure and health risks, air inhalation may be as important as dust ingestion. These results highlight the impacts of PFAAs emissions from the fluorochemical industry to the atmosphere and ultimately, human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Wang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian 361102, China; State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qifeng Li
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Innovation Academy for Green Manufacture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yonglong Lu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian 361102, China; State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Wu Y, Miller GZ, Gearhart J, Peaslee G, Venier M. Side-chain fluorotelomer-based polymers in children car seats. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 268:115477. [PMID: 33221613 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fabric and foam samples from popular children car seats marketed in the United States during 2018 were tested for fluorine content by particle-included gamma ray emission spectroscopy (PIGE, n = 93) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, n = 36), as well as for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by liquid and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS and GC/MS, n = 36). PFAS were detected in 97% of the car seat samples analyzed with MS, with total concentrations of 43 PFAS (∑PFAS) up to 268 ng/g. Fabric samples generally had greater ∑PFAS levels than foam and laminated composites of foam and fabric. The three fabric samples with the highest total fluorine content as represented by the highest PIGE signal were also subjected to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay. Results from these treatments, as well as the much higher organofluorine levels measured by PIGE compared to LC/MS and GC/MS, suggested the presence of side-chain fluorotelomer-based polymers (FTPs), which have the potential to readily degrade into perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) under UV light. Furthermore, fluorotelomer (meth)acrylates were found to be indicators for the presence of (meth)acrylate-linked FTPs in consumer products, and thus confirmed that at least half of the tested car seats had FTP-treated fabrics. Finally, extraction of selected samples with synthetic sweat showed that ionic PFAS, particularly those with fluorinated carbons ≤8, can migrate from fabric to sweat, suggesting a potential dermal route of exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wu
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, United States
| | | | | | - Graham Peaslee
- University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, United States
| | - Marta Venier
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, United States.
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Hall SM, Patton S, Petreas M, Zhang S, Phillips AL, Hoffman K, Stapleton HM. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Dust Collected from Residential Homes and Fire Stations in North America. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:14558-14567. [PMID: 33143410 PMCID: PMC7939574 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few years, human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has garnered increased attention. Research has focused on PFAS exposure via drinking water and diet, and fewer studies have focused on exposure in the indoor environment. To support more research on the latter exposure pathway, we conducted a study to evaluate PFAS in indoor dust. Dust samples from 184 homes in North Carolina and 49 fire stations across the United States and Canada were collected and analyzed for a suite of PFAS using liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and di-polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters (diPAPs) were the most prevalent PFAS in both fire station and house dust samples, with medians of approximately 100 ng/g dust or greater. Notably, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate, perfluorononanoic acid, and 6:2 diPAP were significantly higher in dust from fire stations than from homes, and 8:2 FTOH was significantly higher in homes than in fire stations. Additionally, when comparing our results to earlier published values, we see that perfluoroalkyl acid levels in residential dust appear to decrease over time, particularly for PFOA and PFOS. These results highlight a need to better understand what factors contribute to PFAS levels in dust and to understand how much dust contributes to overall human PFAS exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Hall
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Sharyle Patton
- Commonweal, Bolinas, California, USA, 451 Mesa Road, Bolinas, California, United States
| | - Myrto Petreas
- Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California, United States
| | - Sharon Zhang
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Allison L. Phillips
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Kate Hoffman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Heather M. Stapleton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina, United States
- CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Heather M. Stapleton, PhD, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Box 90328, Durham, North Carolina 27708;
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Ssebugere P, Sillanpää M, Matovu H, Wang Z, Schramm KW, Omwoma S, Wanasolo W, Ngeno EC, Odongo S. Environmental levels and human body burdens of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in Africa: A critical review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 739:139913. [PMID: 32540660 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are known organic pollutants with adverse health effects on humans and the ecosystem. This paper synthesises literature about the status of the pollutants and their precursors, identifies knowledge gaps and discusses future perspectives on the study of PFASs in Africa. Limited data on PFASs prevalence in Africa is available because there is limited capacity to monitor PFASs in African laboratories. The levels of PFASs in Africa are higher in samples from urban and industrialized areas compared to rural areas. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the dominant PFASs in human samples from Africa. Levels of PFOS and PFOA in these samples are lower than or comparable to those from industrialized countries. PFOA and PFOS levels in drinking water in Africa are, in some cases, higher than the EPA drinking water guidelines suggesting potential risk to humans. The levels of PFASs in birds' eggs from South Africa are higher, while those in other environmental media from Africa are lower or comparable to those from industrialized countries. Diet influences the pollutant levels in fish, while size and sex affect their accumulation in crocodiles. No bioaccumulation of PFASs in aquatic systems in Africa could be confirmed due to small sample sizes. Reported sources of PFASs in Africa include municipal landfills, inefficient wastewater treatment plants, consumer products containing PFASs, industrial wastewater and urban runoff. Relevant stakeholders need to take serious action to identify and deal with the salient sources of PFASs on the African continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Ssebugere
- Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
| | - Mika Sillanpää
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Viet Nam; Faculty of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Viet Nam; School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, West Street, Toowoomba, 4350, QLD, Australia
| | - Henry Matovu
- Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; Department of Chemistry, Gulu University, P. O. Box 166, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Karl-Werner Schramm
- Helmholtz Zentrum Müenchen, German National Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Molecular EXposomics (MEX), Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany
| | - Solomon Omwoma
- Department of Physical Sciences, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, P. O. Box 210-40601, Bondo, Kenya
| | - William Wanasolo
- Department of Chemistry, Kyambogo University, P.O. Box 1, Kyambogo, Uganda
| | | | - Silver Odongo
- Department of Chemistry, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
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Schrenk D, Bignami M, Bodin L, Chipman JK, del Mazo J, Grasl‐Kraupp B, Hogstrand C, Hoogenboom L(R, Leblanc J, Nebbia CS, Nielsen E, Ntzani E, Petersen A, Sand S, Vleminckx C, Wallace H, Barregård L, Ceccatelli S, Cravedi J, Halldorsson TI, Haug LS, Johansson N, Knutsen HK, Rose M, Roudot A, Van Loveren H, Vollmer G, Mackay K, Riolo F, Schwerdtle T. Risk to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances in food. EFSA J 2020; 18:e06223. [PMID: 32994824 PMCID: PMC7507523 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific evaluation on the risks to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food. Based on several similar effects in animals, toxicokinetics and observed concentrations in human blood, the CONTAM Panel decided to perform the assessment for the sum of four PFASs: PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFOS. These made up half of the lower bound (LB) exposure to those PFASs with available occurrence data, the remaining contribution being primarily from PFASs with short half-lives. Equal potencies were assumed for the four PFASs included in the assessment. The mean LB exposure in adolescents and adult age groups ranged from 3 to 22, the 95th percentile from 9 to 70 ng/kg body weight (bw) per week. Toddlers and 'other children' showed a twofold higher exposure. Upper bound exposure was 4- to 49-fold higher than LB levels, but the latter were considered more reliable. 'Fish meat', 'Fruit and fruit products' and 'Eggs and egg products' contributed most to the exposure. Based on available studies in animals and humans, effects on the immune system were considered the most critical for the risk assessment. From a human study, a lowest BMDL 10 of 17.5 ng/mL for the sum of the four PFASs in serum was identified for 1-year-old children. Using PBPK modelling, this serum level of 17.5 ng/mL in children was estimated to correspond to long-term maternal exposure of 0.63 ng/kg bw per day. Since accumulation over time is important, a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 4.4 ng/kg bw per week was established. This TWI also protects against other potential adverse effects observed in humans. Based on the estimated LB exposure, but also reported serum levels, the CONTAM Panel concluded that parts of the European population exceed this TWI, which is of concern.
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Bangma J, Eaves LA, Oldenburg K, Reiner JL, Manuck T, Fry RC. Identifying Risk Factors for Levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Placenta in a High-Risk Pregnancy Cohort in North Carolina. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:8158-8166. [PMID: 32469207 PMCID: PMC7723450 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a ubiquitous class of chemicals, is associated with adverse outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, low infant birth weight, and later-life adiposity. The objectives of this study were to examine PFAS levels in the placenta and identify sociodemographic risk factors in a high-risk pregnancy cohort (n = 122) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Of concern, PFOS, PFHxS, PFHpS, and PFUnA were detected above the reporting limit in 99, 75, 55, and 49% of placentas, respectively. Maternal race/ethnicity was associated with significant differences in PFUnA levels. While the data from this high-risk cohort did not provide evidence for an association with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, fetal growth, or gestational age, the prevalence of detectable PFAS in the placenta suggests a need to biomonitor for exposure to PFAS during pregnancy. Future research should investigate factors underlying the differences in PFAS levels in association with a mother's race/ethnicity, as well as potential effects on pregnancy and child health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Bangma
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | - Lauren A Eaves
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | - Kirsi Oldenburg
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
| | - Jessica L Reiner
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina 29412, United States
| | - Tracy Manuck
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Rebecca C Fry
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516, United States
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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Wu Y, Romanak K, Bruton T, Blum A, Venier M. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in paired dust and carpets from childcare centers. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 251:126771. [PMID: 32359999 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Carpets can be a significant source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the indoor environment and may be an especially important source of exposure for children and toddlers. Most previous studies focused on measuring indoor dust only. In this study, we measured PFAS concentrations in paired carpet and dust samples from 18 California childcare centers in 2018 to investigate carpet as a contributor to PFASs in dust. Median total PFAS concentrations (∑PFASs) in carpets and dust were 471 ng/g and 523 ng/g, respectively. 6:2 FTOH and 6:2 FTSA were the two dominant PFASs, collectively accounting for over 50% of the ∑PFASs in both media. Other frequently detected PFASs included C4-C14 perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids, C4-C8 perfluoroalkylsulfonic acids, PFDS, 4:2 FTSA, 8:2 FTSA, FOSA, MeFOSE, EtFOSE, 8:2 FTOH, and 10:2 FTOH. We found strong associations between PFAS levels in carpet and dust pairs, suggesting that carpets can be a source and a sink for PFASs. The estimated total perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) intake via dust ingestion for children was 0.023, 0.096, and 1.9 ng/kg body weight/day in the low-, intermediate-, and high-exposure scenarios, respectively. Our data suggest that PFASs of emerging concern are playing an increasingly important role in indoor exposure to PFASs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wu
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, United States
| | - Kevin Romanak
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, United States
| | - Tom Bruton
- Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, 94709, United States
| | - Arlene Blum
- Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA, 94709, United States
| | - Marta Venier
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, United States.
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