Abstract
POLY: and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitously detected all around the world. Herein, for the first time, concentrations of 16 selected legacy and emerging PFASs are reported for sediment and edible fish collected from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Mean concentrations varied from 0.57 to 2.6μgkg-1 dry weight (dw) in sediment, 3.89-7.63μgkg-1 dw in fish muscle, and 17.9-58.5μgkg-1 dw in fish liver. Wastewater treatment plant effluents represented the main source of these compounds and contributed to the exposure of PFAS to biota. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the most abundant compound in sediment and fish tissues analysed, comprising between 42 and 99% of the ∑16PFAS. The short chain perfluorobutanoate (PFBA) was the second most dominant compound in sediment and was detected at a maximum concentration of 0.64μgkg-1 dw. PFAS levels and patterns differed between tissues of investigated fish species. Across all fish species, ∑16PFAS concentrations in liver were significantly higher than in muscle by a factor ranging from 3 to 7 depending on fish species and size. The PFOS replacements fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS) and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) exhibited a bioaccumulation potential in several fish species and 6:2 FTS, was detected at a maximum concentration of 7.1±3.3μgkg-1 dw in a doublespotted queenfish (Scomberoides lysan) liver. PFBS was detected at a maximum concentration of 2.65μgkg-1 dw in strong spine silver-biddy (Gerres longirostris) liver. The calculated dietary intake of PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) exceeded the safety threshold established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020 in doublespotted queenfish muscle, indicating a potential health risk to humans consuming this fish in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Highlights
Poly: and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitously detected all around the world
The calculated dietary intake of Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) exceeded the safety threshold established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020 in doublespotted queenfish muscle, indicating a potential health risk to humans consuming this fish in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
This study revealed elevated concentrations of some PFASs in seawater affected by effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP)
Summary
Number of fish species and marine invertebrates (Raitsos et al, 2015; Voolstra and Berumen, 2019). Major emission sources of PFASs include landfills, firefighting training facilities using aqueous filmforming foams (AFFF), industrial and municipal sewage effluents, and the production of paper products (Ahrens et al, 2014; Ahrens, 2011; Langberg et al, 2020) Such sources are prevalent in the Saudi coastal area and by monitoring PFASs, it is possible to investigate direct anthropogenic influences on the Red Sea coastal environment. The distribution of ten perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA, C4,6-14), three perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSA, C4,6,8), one fluorotelomer sulfonate (FTS, 6:2 FTS), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), and four emerging PFASs (ADONA, GenX, 6:2 Cl-PFAES, 8:2 Cl-PFAES) was determined for the first time in sediment and edible fish tissues from the Eastern Red Sea environment off Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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