Unraveling the contamination, source and health risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in PM2.5 during winter from a southwestern city in China.

In Spring 2013, the Institute of Water Research of the Italian National Research Centre published a study on the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the main Italian river basins, unveiling a serious contamination of water bodies and drinking water across the provinces of Vicenza and Padua.PFAS are man-made chemicals with a completely fluorinated carbon chain of various length, widely used for their heat-resistant and grease- and water-repelling properties. Until recently, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were the two most employed PFAS congeners. PFAS are exploited for the production of fluoropolymers, non-stick and waterproof coverings, fire-fighting foams, lubricants, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides. PFOA and PFOS are highly persistent in the environment and can spread at long distances through water and air. Moreover, they accumulate in biological tissues and along the food chain.The European Union Regulation 757/2010/EU included PFOS among Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). In 2013, PFOA was classified as a Persistent-Bioaccumulative-Toxic (PBT) substance and more recently (Reg. 2017/100/EU) it was added to the Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation (Reg. 1907/2006/EC). When the PFAS contamination in the Veneto Region was discovered, there were no enforceable thresholds for these substances in the various environmental matrices (soil, surface water, groundwater, drinking water). Afterwards, the European Directive 2013/39/EU added PFOS to the list of priority hazardous substances for water policy and set up Quality Standars in surface water and biota. Italy implemented the above-mentioned Directive with the Legislative Decree no. 172 of October 13th 2015, which also established Quality Standars in surface water for five more perfluorinated compounds (PFOA; perfluorobutanoic acid, PFBA; perfluorobutane sulfonate, PFBS; perfluoropentanoic acid, PFPeA; and perfluorohexanoic acid, PFHxA). Moreover, with Decree of July 6th 2016 the Italian Ministry of Environment established legal thresholds for PFBS, PFPeA, PFHxA, PFOA, and PFOS in groundwater. As regards drinking water, in January 2014 the Italian Ministry of Health issued a statement of the National Institute of Health setting up performance thresholds for PFOA, PFOS and the sum of other PFAS. Recently, with Deliberation no. 1590 of October 3rd 2017, the Veneto Regional Government established new and stricter performance thresholds in drinking water taking advantage of improved water filtering technologies, with the aim of attaining the maximum available protection of population health according to the precautionary principle.To tackle the issue of PFAS pollution, the Veneto Region adopted an integrated methodology for risk analysis and management, which took into account any possible exposure pathway for the population and required the coordinated action of many different Institutions and Stakeholders, under the oversight of the Regional Directorate of Prevention, Food Safety, and Veterinary Health.Municipalities involved in the contamination were identified and environmental matrices were analysed with the aim of performing a Health Impact Assessment and defining a Health Surveillance Plan for the exposed population.

Seasonal variation and inhalation health risk of atmospheric polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances in a metropolitan city centre of southwest China

Occurrence, source apportionment, and ecological risk of legacy and emerging per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the Dahei river basin of a typical arid region in China

Background:Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been reported in human milk. However, prior U.S. studies have not included novel PFAS alternatives of emerging concern or infants’ Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) of PFAS.Methods:Human milk was collected between 2019 and 2020 at 6 weeks after delivery from 100 Cincinnati, Ohio, nursing women participants in the IMPRINT study; 29 PFAS congeners were measured using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We performed descriptive exposure analyses and assessed infant’s PFAS EDI from human milk.Results:All human milk samples contained PFAS. Of the 19 PFAS detected, 5 congeners were concurrently found in ≥ 50% of the samples. Legacy PFAS had the highest detection frequencies and concentrations: 97.7% for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (median concentration: 14.5 ng/L) and 89.8% for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (median: 17.4 ng/L), 71.6% for perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) (median: 3.7 ng/L), and 70.0% for perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (median: 10.4 ng/L). An emerging PFAS, dodecafluoro-3H-4,8-dioxanonanoate (ADONA), was detected in 68.0% of samples (median: 3.5 ng/L). The PFAS with the highest EDI included PFOA (median: 8.6 ng), PFOS (median: 7.1 ng), and PFHxA (median: 5.8 ng). About 98% of samples had PFAS levels above the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) tolerable weekly intake of 4.4 ng/kg body weight/week for the sum of PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and perfluorononanoate (PFNA).Conclusions:Human milk from women in Cincinnati, Ohio, contained both legacy and emerging PFAS and infants’ PFAS consumption through breastfeeding exceeded EFSA tolerable weekly intakes.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used in various industrial and consumer products. They have gained attention due to their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment and potential for adverse effects on human health, often linked to immune suppression, hepatotoxicity, and altered cholesterol metabolism. This study aimed to explore the impact of ten individual PFAS, 3 H-perfluoro-3-[(3-methoxypropoxy) propanoic acid] (PMPP/Adona), ammonium perfluoro-(2-methyl-3-oxahexanoate) (HFPO-DA/GenX), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) on the lipid metabolism in human hepatocyte-like cells (HepaRG). These cells were exposed to different concentrations of PFAS ranging from 10 µM to 5000 µM. Lipids were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC- MS-QTOF). PFOS at 10 µM and PFOA at 25 µM increased the levels of ceramide (Cer), diacylglycerol (DAG), N-acylethanolamine (NAE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and triacylglycerol (TAG) lipids, while PMPP/Adona, HFPO-DA/GenX, PFBA, PFBS, PFHxA, and PFHxS decreased the levels of these lipids. Furthermore, PFOA and PFOS markedly reduced the levels of palmitic acid (FA 16.0). The present study shows distinct concentration-dependent effects of PFAS on various lipid species, shedding light on the implications of PFAS for essential cellular functions. Our study revealed that the investigated legacy PFAS (PFOS, PFOA, PFBA, PFDA, PFHxA, PFHxS, and PFNA) and alternative PFAS (PMPP/Adona, HFPO-DA/GenX and PFBS) can potentially disrupt lipid homeostasis and metabolism in hepatic cells. This research offers a comprehensive insight into the impacts of legacy and alternative PFAS on lipid composition in HepaRG cells.

Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the groundwater-to-estuary continuum in an aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)-impacted watershed.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detection at military installations where current and historical aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) use has occurred drive a need for empirical derivation of environmentally relevant PFAS mixtures to facilitate toxicity testing and risk assessment efforts. We applied a formalized prioritization method to a large dataset of PFAS concentrations in surface soil at AFFF-affected sites on active and former U.S. Air Force installations. Our approach revealed several observations about PFAS at these sites. First, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) occurred most commonly and often at the highest concentration across the PFAS measured. Second, two to three PFAS contributed 86% to 91%, respectively, of the sum PFAS in any given site-specific mixture. Third, after PFOS, the most common and high concentration PFAS among target analytes were perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), and/or perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), in that order. Site-specific PFAS mixtures are approximately 5% to 12% PFHxS, PFOA, PFOSA, and PFHxA behind approximately 82% PFOS. Another observation relevant to future sampling is the high concentration but inconsistent prevalence of the 6:2 and 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonates (FTSs). An uncertainty that could also be addressed through future sampling is the detection of less abundant or yet unmeasured PFAS that have unknown or poorly characterized toxicological potency. These results support the continued importance of efforts to understand effects and exposure of PFOS but highlight the need to consider other PFAS such as PFHxS and fluorotelomers in exposure and effect estimations to support ecological risk assessments and ecotoxicological testing of PFAS mixtures.

Home produced eggs: An important pathway of human exposure to perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) around a fluorochemical industrial park in China

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmospheric total suspended particles in Karachi, Pakistan: Profiles, potential sources, and daily intake estimates

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a numerous group of synthetic organic compounds used in various industries. They pollute the natural environment and negatively affect humans and animals. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the exposure of sheep bred in the Kyrgyz Republic to six selected PFASs. Six selected PFASs were assessed in 50 sheep (39 females and 11 males) of Kyrgyz and Arashan breeds ranging in age from 1 to 8 years (mean 2.1 ± 1.1), recruited equally from the Alamedin and Sokuluk regions. The substances were five perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (perfluorobutanoic acid - PFBuA, perfluoropentanoic acid - PFPeA, perfluorohexanoic acid - PFHxA, perfluoroheptanoic acid - PFHpA and perfluorooctanoic acid - PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS), and were determined through the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of hair samples. All the listed PFASs were found in the studied hair samples. The highest concentrations were noted for PFPeA and PFBuA. The concentration of PFPeA ranged from 0.99 ng/g to 27.90 ng/g (mean 5.55 ± 4.54 ng/g) and that of PFBuA from 0.95ng/g to 14.18 ng/g (mean 2.24 ± 2.34 ng/g). The mean concentration levels of other PFASs were as follows: 1.06 ± 0.78 ng/g for PFHxA, 1.02 ± 0.76 ng/g for PFHpA, 0.87 ± 0.68 ng/g for PFOA and below the method quantification limit for PFOS. Clear differences in PFASs levels were noted between the two regions. Sheep are exposed to various PFASs, and sheep wool and items made of it may be the source of human exposure to these compounds. Hair samples may be used for biomonitoring of sheep exposure to PFASs.

Comparing the toxic potency in vivo of long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids and fluorinated alternatives

The perfluoroalkyl substances influenced the distribution of bacterial communities and their functions from source water to tap water

The treatment of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) within groundwater is an emerging topic, with various technologies being researched and tested. Currently, PFAS‐impacted groundwater is typically treated ex situ using sorptive media such as activated carbon and ion exchange resin. Proven in situ remedial approaches for groundwater have been limited to colloidal activated carbon (CAC) injected into aquifers downgradient of the source zones. However, treatment of groundwater within the source zones has not been shown to be feasible to date. This study evaluated the use of CAC to treat dissolved PFAS at the air–water interface within the PFAS source zone. Studies have shown that PFAS tends to preferentially accumulate at the air–water interface due to the chemical properties of the various PFAS. This accumulation can act as a long‐term source for PFAS, thus making downgradient treatment of groundwater a long‐term requirement. A solution of CAC was injected at the air–water interface within the source zone at a site with PFAS contamination using direct push technology. A dense injection grid that targeted the interface between the air and groundwater was used to deliver the CAC. Concentrations of PFAS within the porewater and groundwater were collected using a series of nine lysimeters installed within the vadose and saturated water columns. A total of six PFAS were detected in the porewater and groundwater including perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). Detectable concentrations of PFAS within the pore and groundwater before treatment ranged from values greater than 300 µg/L for PFPeA to less than 3 µg/L for PFNA. Following the injection of the CAC, monitoring of the porewater and groundwater for PFAS was conducted approximately 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months postinjection. The results indicated that the PFAS within the porewater and groundwater at and near the air–water interface was effectively attenuated over the 1.5‐year monitoring program, with PFAS concentrations being below the method detection limits of approximately 10 ng/L, with the exception of PFPeA, which was detected within the porewater during the 18‐month sampling event at concentrations of up to 55 ng/L. PFPeA is a five carbon‐chained PFAS that has been shown to have a lower affinity for sorption onto activated carbon compared to the longer carbon‐chained PFAS such as PFOA. Examination of aquifer cores in the zone of injection indicated that the total organic carbon concentration of the aquifer increased by five orders of magnitude postinjection, with 97% of the samples collected within the target injection area containing activated carbon, indicating that the CAC was successfully delivered into the source zone.

Assessment of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in dogs by fur analysis

Assessment of perfluoroalkyl substances levels in tap and bottled water samples from Turkey