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Yi Y, Feng Y, Shi Y, Xiao J, Liu M, Wang K. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and Their Potential Effects on Female Reproductive Diseases. TOXICS 2024; 12:539. [PMID: 39195641 PMCID: PMC11358978 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12080539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of anthropogenic organic compounds widely present in the natural and human living environments. These emerging persistent pollutants can enter the human body through multiple channels, posing risks to human health. In particular, exposure to PFASs in women may cause a series of reproductive health hazards and infertility. Based on a review of the existing literature, this study preliminarily summarizes the effects of PFAS exposure on the occurrence and development of female reproductive endocrine diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), and diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Furthermore, we outline the relevant mechanisms through which PFASs interfere with the physiological function of the female ovary and finally highlight the role played by nutrients in reducing the reproductive health hazards caused by PFASs. It is worth noting that the physiological mechanisms of PFASs in the above diseases are still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to further study the molecular mechanisms of PFASs in female reproductive diseases and the role of nutrients in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Yi
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
| | - Yang Feng
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
| | - Yuechen Shi
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
| | - Jiaming Xiao
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, China; (Y.Y.); (Y.F.); (Y.S.); (J.X.); (M.L.)
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Etit D, Meramo S, Ögmundarson Ó, Jensen MK, Sukumara S. Can biotechnology lead the way toward a sustainable pharmaceutical industry? Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 87:103100. [PMID: 38471403 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
The impact-intensive and rapidly growing pharmaceutical industry must ensure its sustainability. This study reveals that environmental sustainability assessments have been conducted for only around 0.2% of pharmaceuticals, environmental impacts have significant variations among the assessed products, and different impact categories have not been consistently studied. Highly varied impacts require assessing more products to understand the industry's sustainability status. Reporting all impact categories will be crucial, especially when comparing production technologies. Biological production of (semi)synthetic pharmaceuticals could reduce their environmental costs, though the high impacts of biologically produced monoclonal antibodies should also be optimized. Considering the sustainability potential of biopharmaceuticals from economic, environmental, and social perspectives, collaboratively guiding their immense market growth would lead to the industry's sustainability transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Etit
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Samir Meramo
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ólafur Ögmundarson
- Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland, Nýi Garður, Sæmundargata 2, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Michael K Jensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sumesh Sukumara
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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3
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Petali JM, Pulster EL, McCarthy C, Pickard HM, Sunderland EM, Bangma J, Carignan CC, Robuck A, Crawford KA, Romano ME, Lohmann R, von Stackelburg K. Considerations and challenges in support of science and communication of fish consumption advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2024. [PMID: 38752651 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Federal, state, tribal, or local entities in the United States issue fish consumption advisories (FCAs) as guidance for safer consumption of locally caught fish containing contaminants. Fish consumption advisories have been developed for commonly detected compounds such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. The existing national guidance does not specifically address the unique challenges associated with bioaccumulation and consumption risk related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As a result, several states have derived their own PFAS-related consumption guidelines, many of which focus on one frequently detected PFAS, known as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). However, there can be significant variation between tissue concentrations or trigger concentrations (TCs) of PFOS that support the individual state-issued FCAs. This variation in TCs can create challenges for risk assessors and risk communicators in their efforts to protect public health. The objective of this article is to review existing challenges, knowledge gaps, and needs related to issuing PFAS-related FCAs and to provide key considerations for the development of protective fish consumption guidance. The current state of the science and variability in FCA derivation, considerations for sampling and analytical methodologies, risk management, risk communication, and policy challenges are discussed. How to best address PFAS mixtures in the development of FCAs, in risk assessment, and establishment of effect thresholds remains a major challenge, as well as a source of uncertainty and scrutiny. This includes developments better elucidating toxicity factors, exposures to PFAS mixtures, community fish consumption behaviors, and evolving technology and analytical instrumentation, methods, and the associated detection limits. Given the evolving science and public interests informing PFAS-related FCAs, continued review and revision of FCA approaches and best practices are vital. Nonetheless, consistent, widely applicable, PFAS-specific approaches informing methods, critical concentration thresholds, and priority compounds may assist practitioners in PFAS-related FCA development and possibly reduce variability between states and jurisdictions. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-20. © 2024 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Michael Petali
- Environmental Health Program, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Concord, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Erin L Pulster
- US Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Heidi M Pickard
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacqueline Bangma
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Courtney C Carignan
- Department Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Anna Robuck
- Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Kathryn A Crawford
- Environmental Studies Programs, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, USA
| | - Megan E Romano
- Department of Epidemiology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Rainer Lohmann
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Katherine von Stackelburg
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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4
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Nielsen OJ, Sulbaek Andersen MP. Hydrofluorocarbons, Climate, and Health. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1059. [PMID: 37703571 DOI: 10.1056/nejmc2308778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
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5
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Lukić Bilela L, Matijošytė I, Krutkevičius J, Alexandrino DAM, Safarik I, Burlakovs J, Gaudêncio SP, Carvalho MF. Impact of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) on the marine environment: Raising awareness, challenges, legislation, and mitigation approaches under the One Health concept. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115309. [PMID: 37591052 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have long been known for their detrimental effects on the ecosystems and living organisms; however the long-term impact on the marine environment is still insufficiently recognized. Based on PFAS persistence and bioaccumulation in the complex marine food network, adverse effects will be exacerbated by global processes such as climate change and synergies with other pollutants, like microplastics. The range of fluorochemicals currently included in the PFAS umbrella has significantly expanded due to the updated OECD definition, raising new concerns about their poorly understood dynamics and negative effects on the ocean wildlife and human health. Mitigation challenges and approaches, including biodegradation and currently studied materials for PFAS environmental removal are proposed here, highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and bridging research gaps. The PFAS EU regulations, good practices and legal frameworks are discussed, with emphasis on recommendations for improving marine ecosystem management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lada Lukić Bilela
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Inga Matijošytė
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio ave. 7, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Jokūbas Krutkevičius
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio ave. 7, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Diogo A M Alexandrino
- CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, P. Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ivo Safarik
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Biology Centre, ISBB, CAS, Na Sadkach 7, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Juris Burlakovs
- Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences, Józefa Wybickiego 7 A, 31-261 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Susana P Gaudêncio
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal; UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Chemistry Department, NOVA Faculty for Sciences and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Maria F Carvalho
- CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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Sulbaek Andersen MP, Nielsen OJ, Sherman JD. Assessing the potential climate impact of anaesthetic gases. Lancet Planet Health 2023; 7:e622-e629. [PMID: 37438003 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(23)00084-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing concern within the health-care community about the role care delivery plays in environmental degradation, sparking research into how to reduce pollution from clinical practice. Inhaled anaesthetics is a particular research area of interest for two reasons. First, several gases are potent greenhouse gases, and waste gas is mostly emitted directly to the environment. Second, there are options to reduce gas waste and substitute medications and procedures with fewer embodied emissions while delivering high-quality care. Performance improvements are contingent on a proper understanding of the emission estimates and climate metrics used to ensure consistent application in guiding mitigation strategies and accounting at various scales. We review the current literature on the environmental impact and the estimation of the potential climate forcing of common inhaled anaesthetic drugs: desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane, methoxyflurane, and nitrous oxide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Peter Sulbaek Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA; Copenhagen Center for Atmospheric Research, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Ole John Nielsen
- Copenhagen Center for Atmospheric Research, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jodi D Sherman
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Madronich S, Sulzberger B, Longstreth JD, Schikowski T, Andersen MPS, Solomon KR, Wilson SR. Changes in tropospheric air quality related to the protection of stratospheric ozone in a changing climate. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2023; 22:1129-1176. [PMID: 37310641 PMCID: PMC10262938 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00369-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation drives the net production of tropospheric ozone (O3) and a large fraction of particulate matter (PM) including sulfate, nitrate, and secondary organic aerosols. Ground-level O3 and PM are detrimental to human health, leading to several million premature deaths per year globally, and have adverse effects on plants and the yields of crops. The Montreal Protocol has prevented large increases in UV radiation that would have had major impacts on air quality. Future scenarios in which stratospheric O3 returns to 1980 values or even exceeds them (the so-called super-recovery) will tend to ameliorate urban ground-level O3 slightly but worsen it in rural areas. Furthermore, recovery of stratospheric O3 is expected to increase the amount of O3 transported into the troposphere by meteorological processes that are sensitive to climate change. UV radiation also generates hydroxyl radicals (OH) that control the amounts of many environmentally important chemicals in the atmosphere including some greenhouse gases, e.g., methane (CH4), and some short-lived ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). Recent modeling studies have shown that the increases in UV radiation associated with the depletion of stratospheric ozone over 1980-2020 have contributed a small increase (~ 3%) to the globally averaged concentrations of OH. Replacements for ODSs include chemicals that react with OH radicals, hence preventing the transport of these chemicals to the stratosphere. Some of these chemicals, e.g., hydrofluorocarbons that are currently being phased out, and hydrofluoroolefins now used increasingly, decompose into products whose fate in the environment warrants further investigation. One such product, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), has no obvious pathway of degradation and might accumulate in some water bodies, but is unlikely to cause adverse effects out to 2100.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Madronich
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, USA.
- USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA.
| | - B Sulzberger
- Academic Guest after retirement from Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland
| | - J D Longstreth
- The Institute for Global Risk Research, LLC, Bethesda, USA
| | - T Schikowski
- IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - M P Sulbæk Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California State University, Northridge, USA
| | - K R Solomon
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - S R Wilson
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
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Korzeniowski SH, Buck RC, Newkold RM, Kassmi AE, Laganis E, Matsuoka Y, Dinelli B, Beauchet S, Adamsky F, Weilandt K, Soni VK, Kapoor D, Gunasekar P, Malvasi M, Brinati G, Musio S. A critical review of the application of polymer of low concern regulatory criteria to fluoropolymers II: Fluoroplastics and fluoroelastomers. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 19:326-354. [PMID: 35678199 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fluoropolymers are a distinct class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), high molecular weight (MW) polymers with fluorine attached to their carbon-only backbone. Fluoropolymers possess a unique combination of properties and unmatched functional performance critical to the products and manufacturing processes they enable and are irreplaceable in many uses. Fluoropolymers have documented safety profiles; are thermally, biologically, and chemically stable, negligibly soluble in water, nonmobile, nonbioavailable, nonbioaccumulative, and nontoxic. Although fluoropolymers fit the PFAS structural definition, they have very different physical, chemical, environmental, and toxicological properties when compared with other PFAS. This study describes the composition, uses, performance properties, and functionalities of 14 fluoropolymers, including fluoroplastics and fluoroelastomers, and presents data to demonstrate that they satisfy the widely accepted polymer hazard assessment criteria to be considered polymers of low concern (PLC). The PLC criteria include physicochemical properties, such as molecular weight, which determine bioavailability and warn of potential hazard. Fluoropolymers are insoluble (e.g., water, octanol) solids too large to migrate into the cell membrane making them nonbioavailable, and therefore, of low concern from a human and environmental health standpoint. Further, the study results demonstrate that fluoropolymers are a distinct and different group of PFAS and should not be grouped with other PFAS for hazard assessment or regulatory purposes. When combined with an earlier publication by Henry et al., this study demonstrates that commercial fluoropolymers are available from the seven participating companies that meet the criteria to be considered PLC, which represent approximately 96% of the global commercial fluoropolymer market. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:326-354. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Evan Laganis
- AGC Chemicals Americas, Exton, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Karl Weilandt
- Advanced Materials Division, 3M Center, 3M Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Deepak Kapoor
- Gujarat Fluorochemicals GmbH, Regus Centre Watermark, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Marco Malvasi
- Solvay Specialty Polymers, V.le Lombardia, Bollate, (MI), Italy
| | - Giulio Brinati
- Solvay Specialty Polymers, V.le Lombardia, Bollate, (MI), Italy
| | - Stefana Musio
- Solvay Specialty Polymers, V.le Lombardia, Bollate, (MI), Italy
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Medeiros FS, Mota C, Chaudhuri P. Perfluoropropionic Acid-Driven Nucleation of Atmospheric Molecules under Ambient Conditions. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:8449-8458. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c05068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Flávio Soares Medeiros
- Department of Physics, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus69080-900, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Cicero Mota
- Department of Mathematics, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus69080-900, Amazonas, Brazil
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10
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Wackett LP. Strategies for the Biodegradation of Polyfluorinated Compounds. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081664. [PMID: 36014082 PMCID: PMC9415301 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Many cite the strength of C–F bonds for the poor microbial biodegradability of polyfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs). However, commercial PFCs almost invariably contain more functionality than fluorine. The additional functionality provides a weak entry point for reactions that activate C–F bonds and lead to their eventual cleavage. This metabolic activation strategy is common in microbial biodegradation pathways and is observed with aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated compounds, phosphonates and many other compounds. Initial metabolic activation precedes critical bond breakage and assimilation of nutrients. A similar strategy with commercial PFCs proceeds via initial attack at the non-fluorinated functionalities: sulfonates, carboxylates, chlorines, phenyl rings, or phosphonates. Metabolic transformation of these non-fluorinated groups can activate the C–F bonds, allowing more facile cleavage than a direct attack on the C–F bonds. Given that virtually all compounds denoted as “PFAS” are not perfluorinated and are not alkanes, it is posited here that considering their individual chemical classes is more useful for both chemical and microbiological considerations of their fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence P Wackett
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics and BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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11
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Hammel E, Webster TF, Gurney R, Heiger-Bernays W. Implications of PFAS definitions using fluorinated pharmaceuticals. iScience 2022; 25:104020. [PMID: 35313699 PMCID: PMC8933701 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
There are 9,000+ per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in existence, which makes studying and regulating PFAS individually, or even as small mixtures, infeasible. Multiple PFAS definitions based on structure have been proposed, yet these definitions do not consider the implications for the full suite of organofluorine chemicals. For example, organofluorine pharmaceuticals, whose use may be essential and are found in human serum and wastewater, are not uniformly identified across all definitions. Using nine definitions prepared by various stakeholders, we screened the 360 organofluorine pharmaceuticals approved and used globally between 1954 and 2021. Definitions ranged in their inclusion of organofluorine pharmaceuticals (1%-100%). The most inclusive definitions include several top prescribed pharmaceuticals, e.g., Prozac and Lipitor. This analysis provides a framework against which organizations can make decisions about how best to proceed when defining PFAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Hammel
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Thomas F. Webster
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Rich Gurney
- Simmons University, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wendy Heiger-Bernays
- Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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