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Fremlin KM, Elliott JE, Letcher RJ, Harner T, Gobas FA. Developing Methods for Assessing Trophic Magnification of Perfluoroalkyl Substances within an Urban Terrestrial Avian Food Web. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:12806-12818. [PMID: 37590934 PMCID: PMC10469464 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the trophic magnification potential of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a terrestrial food web by using a chemical activity-based approach, which involved normalizing concentrations of PFAS in biota to their relative biochemical composition in order to provide a thermodynamically accurate basis for comparing concentrations of PFAS in biota. Samples of hawk eggs, songbird tissues, and invertebrates were collected and analyzed for concentrations of 18 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and for polar lipid, neutral lipid, total protein, albumin, and water content. Estimated mass fractions of PFCA C8-C11 and PFSA C4-C8 predominantly occurred in albumin within biota samples from the food web with smaller estimated fractions in polar lipids > structural proteins > neutral lipids and insignificant amounts in water. Estimated mass fractions of longer-chained PFAS (i.e., C12-C16) mainly occurred in polar lipids with smaller estimated fractions in albumin > structural proteins > neutral lipids > and water. Chemical activity-based TMFs indicated that PFNA, PFDA, PFUdA, PFDoA, PFTrDA, PFTeDA, PFOS, and PFDS biomagnified in the food web; PFOA, PFHxDA, and PFHxS did not appear to biomagnify; and PFBS biodiluted. Chemical activity-based TMFs for PFCA C8-C11 and PFSA C4-C8 were in good agreement with corresponding TMFs derived with concentrations normalized to only total protein in biota, suggesting that concentrations normalized to total protein may be appropriate proxies of chemical activity-based TMFs for PFAS, which predominantly partition to albumin. Similarly, TMFs derived with concentrations normalized to albumin may be suitable proxies of chemical activity-based TMFs for longer-chained PFAS, which predominantly partition to polar lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine M. Fremlin
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A
1S6, Canada
- Ecotoxicology
and Wildlife Health Division, Environment
and Climate Change Canada, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - John E. Elliott
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A
1S6, Canada
- Ecotoxicology
and Wildlife Health Division, Environment
and Climate Change Canada, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Robert J. Letcher
- Ecotoxicology
and Wildlife Health Division, National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A
0H3, Canada
| | - Tom Harner
- Air
Quality Research Division, Environment and
Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Frank A.P.C. Gobas
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A
1S6, Canada
- School
of Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of the Environment, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A
1S6, Canada
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