Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Plasma of Smallmouth Bass from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Vicki S Blazer,Stephanie E Gordon,Heather L Walsh,Cheyenne R Smith

doi:10.3390/ijerph18115881

Abstract

Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu is an economically important sportfish and within the Chesapeake Bay watershed has experienced a high prevalence of external lesions, infectious disease, mortality events, reproductive endocrine disruption and population declines. To date, no clear or consistent associations with contaminants measured in fish tissue or surface water have been found. Therefore, plasma samples from two sites in the Potomac River and two in the Susquehanna River drainage basins, differing in land-use characteristics, were utilized to determine if perfluoroalkyl substances were present. Four compounds, perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), were detected in every fish. Two additional compounds, perfluorooctane sulphonamide (PFOSA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), were less commonly detected at lower concentrations, depending on the site. Concentrations of PFOS (up to 574 ng/mL) were the highest detected and varied significantly among sites. No seasonal differences (spring versus fall) in plasma concentrations were observed. Concentrations of PFOS were not significantly different between the sexes. However, PFUnA and PFDoA concentrations were higher in males than females. Both agricultural and developed land-use appeared to be associated with exposure. Further research is needed to determine if these compounds could be affecting the health of smallmouth bass and identify sources.

Highlights

Per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as a global contaminant issue, associated with both human and ecosystem health concerns
Four PFAS compounds, one sulfonic acid (PFOS) and three carboxylic acids (PFDA, perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)), were detected in the plasma of every fish, concentrations varied from site to site and within sites
A better understanding scale, The results this study indicate that PFAS areofaccumulating in smallmouth bass, an transport, types of point sources and types of treatments within individual

Summary

Introduction

Per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as a global contaminant issue, associated with both human and ecosystem health concerns. Aqueous film forming foam used at military and civilian airports, train yards, fire training areas, and chemical refineries are common sources of these compounds in the aquatic environment [3] Because of their hydrophobic and non-stick properties, they are widely used in consumer products such as food packaging, cookware, furniture, carpets and outdoor gear [4] and can be present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and sludge/biosolids [5,6,7]. Lesions and mortalities of young-ofyear smallmouth bass [12,13] are observed These disease issues are associated with a variety of pathogens including multiple bacterial, viral and parasitic species [8,13,14,15], suggesting immunomodulation may be occurring

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