Dataset Information

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate, and Health Effects.

ABSTRACT: Due to their unique chemical properties, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used extensively as industrial surfactants and processing aids. While several types of PFAS have been voluntarily phased out by their manufacturers, these chemicals continue to be of ecological and public health concern due to their persistence in the environment and their presence in living organisms. Moreover, while the compounds referred to as "legacy" PFAS remain in the environment, alternative compounds have emerged as replacements for their legacy predecessors and are now detected in numerous matrices. In this review, we discuss the historical uses of PFAS, recent advances in analytical techniques for analysis of these compounds, and the fate of PFAS in the environment. In addition, we evaluate current biomonitoring studies of human exposure to legacy and emerging PFAS and examine the associations of PFAS exposure with human health impacts, including cancer- and non-cancer-related outcomes. Special focus is given to short-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and ether-substituted, polyfluoroalkyl alternatives including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA; tradename GenX), 4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (DONA), and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroethersulfonic acid (6:2 Cl-PFESA; tradename F-53B).

SUBMITTER: Brase RA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7863963 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate, and Health Effects.

Brase Richard A RA Mullin Elizabeth J EJ Spink David C DC

International journal of molecular sciences 20210120 3

Due to their unique chemical properties, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used extensively as industrial surfactants and processing aids. While several types of PFAS have been voluntarily phased out by their manufacturers, these chemicals continue to be of ecological and public health concern due to their persistence in the environment and their presence in living organisms. Moreover, while the compounds referred to as "legacy" PFAS remain in the environment, alternative comp ...[more]

PMID: 33498193

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Project description:BackgroundResidents of Anniston Alabama were highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to longstanding manufacturing in the area. The Anniston Community Health Surveys (ACHS I-2005-2007 and II, 2014) have linked these exposures with a variety of deletereous health outcomes. In addition to PCBs, these individuals were likely simultaneously exposed to other persistent organic pollutants including per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are an emerging class of ubiquitous industrial chemicals that are measurable in the blood of most individuals and have themselves been linked increased risk of some non communicable diseases.MethodsTo characterize PFAS exposures in ACHS I and ACHS II, we measured eight environmentally significant PFAS in serum by UPLC coupled electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorononanoate (PFNA), Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), and 4:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (4.2 FTS) were extracted from matched serum samples of individuals who participated in the original ACHS I (2005-2007; n = 297) and the follow up ACHS II (2014; n = 336). Data were collected in negative multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with monitoring of quantitation and qualifier ions for all target PFAS analytes, surrogates and internal standards. VARCLUS procedure was used to create hierarchical clusters between PFAS and other legacy persistent organic pollutants which may share similar exposure routes.ResultsOverall, circulating PFAS levels decreased approximately 50% from ACHS I (2005-2007) to ACHS II (2014), but these changes varied by compound. Mean levels of PFOS were >3 times higher in ACHS I subjects than in conpemporaneous NHANES subjects (2005-2006; ACHS I mean: 71.1 ng/ml; NHANES mean: 20.2 ng/mL), and this relationship persisted in ACHS II subjects (2014: ACHS II mean: 34.7 ng/ml; NHANES mean: 5.92 ng/mL). PFNA was also higher in both ACHS I and ACHS II subjects in comparision to NHANES whereas levels of PFOA and PFHxS were lower than in NHANES. Finally, cluster analysis revealed that in ACHS II, most PFAS tracked with polybrominated diphenyl ethers, except PFNA and PFHpA which clustered with industrial PCBs. In ACHS I, PFAS analytes correlated more closely with industrial PCBs and chlorinated pesticides.ConclusionsParticipants in the Anniston Community Health Surveys have higher levels of PFOS and PFNA than the general population with average PFOS levels >3 times contemporaneous NHANES levels. Since PFAS were not known to be manufactured in the area, more work needs to be completed to determine if population demographics, proximity to a military base, or regional manufacturing can explain the elevated levels.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Epidemiological evidence remains equivocal on the associations between environmentally relevant levels of per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and human semen quality. OBJECTIVES:We aimed to test whether the potential effects on semen quality could be better observed when seminal PFAS levels were used as an exposure marker compared with serum PFAS levels. METHODS:Matched semen and serum samples from 664 adult men were collected from a cross-sectional population in China from 2015 to 2016. Multiple semen parameters were assessed, along with measurement of 16 target PFASs in semen and serum. Partitioning between semen and serum was evaluated by the ratio of matrix-specific PFAS concentrations. Regression model results were expressed as the difference in each semen parameter associated with the per unit increase in the ln-transformed PFAS level after adjusting for confounders. RESULTS:Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and emerging chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) were detected at their highest concentrations in both semen and serum, with median concentrations of 0.23, 0.10, and 0.06?ng/mL in semen, respectively, and a semen-to-serum ratio of 1.3:3.1. The between-matrix correlations of these PFAS concentrations were high (R=0.70-0.83). Seminal PFOA, PFOS, and 6:2 Cl-PFESA levels were significantly associated with a lower percentage of progressive sperm and higher percentage of DNA fragmentation (false discovery rate-adjusted p-values?of<0.05). Associations between serum PFAS levels and semen parameters were generally statistically weaker, except for DNA stainability, which was more strongly associated with serum-based PFASs than with semen-based PFASs. CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest the potential for deleterious effects following exposure to 6:2 Cl-PFESA and other PFASs. Compared with serum PFAS levels, the much clearer association of seminal PFAS levels with semen parameters suggests its advantage in hazard assessment on semen quality, although the potential for confounding might be higher. Exposure measurements in target tissue may be critical in clarifying effects related to PFAS exposure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4431.

Project description:The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the food chain poses a threat to human health. Water and the atmosphere are the major transport pathways for PFASs in the environment, while water, soil and sediment are sinks. Herein, the concentrations and distributions of traditional and emerging PFASs in multi-environmental media samples in the Qiantang River watershed were comprehensively investigated. Twenty-five PFASs, including seven emerging PFASs, were identified. The concentrations in water, soil, sediment and PM2.5 ranged from 3.58 to 786 ng L-1, 0.72 to 12.3 ng g-1, 0.73 to 6.60 ng g-1, and 93.9 to 255 pg m-3, respectively, with mean concentrations of 149 ng L-1, 4.70 ng g-1, 4.31 ng g-1, and 156 pg m-3. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominant contaminant in water, soil, and sediment, and perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) was the dominant contaminant in PM2.5. Hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA) and 6 : 2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6 : 2 Cl-PFESA), as substitutes for PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were detected, indicating the gradual replacement of traditional PFOA and PFOS in this area. Perfluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA), as a component of the aqueous film-forming foam FN-3, was first detected in this area. Short-chain PFASs were mainly distributed in water and PM2.5, while long-chain PFASs were distributed in the solid phase, such as soil, sediment, and PM2.5. Based on principal component analysis (PCA), the major PFAS sources were emulsifiers from fluorine polymerization and surface-active agents from the textile, papermaking, leather, and other industries. In addition, correlation analysis showed that water was the main source and transport pathway of short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA), HFPO-DA, and NFDHA in this area, while the atmosphere combined with PM2.5 was the main transport pathway for both short- and long-chain PFCAs, PFOS, and 6 : 2 Cl-PFESA.

Dataset Information

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate, and Health Effects.

Publications

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Analytical Techniques, Environmental Fate, and Health Effects.

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