Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Circumpolar Arctic and Northern Populations

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are globally ubiquitous contaminants transported with sea currents and atmospheric movements, accumulating in the environment, food-chain, animals and humans and possess a potential health risk including the immune-, neurobehavioral-, and reproductive systems. The profile and concentrations found in humans elicit regional differences that might be related to the countries PFAS use, production, lifestyle, and diet. In the Arctic, the PFAS compounds were never produced or used, however, the Arctic Indigenous and northern populations consuming traditional diet including marine mammals at the top of the food-chain (e.g., whales, seals, polar bears) are particularly exposed to PFAS. This mini review gives a short overview on health effects in the circumpolar Arctic populations and aims to compare the PFAS levels in the Arctic with primary focus on the period 2010-20 and relate the levels with the general national country populations. As expected, regional concentration and profile differences were found over the circumpolar Arctic with the highest level found in Greenland. Moreover, in general the regulated PFAS (perfluorooctane sulfonate, perfluoro-octanoate, perfluorohexane sulfonate) tend to decrease and the unregulated PFAS (e.g., perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorodecanoic acid, perfluoroundecanoic acid) increases in concentration during this period. Generally, the PFAS levels were higher in men than women increasing with age. For most Arctic regions, the PFAS levels were higher compared to the general national country populations.