Assessment of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid exposure through fish consumption in Italy

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are pollutants of anthropic origin with possible side effects on human health. Diet, and in particular fish and seafood, is considered the major intake pathway for humans. The present study investigated the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in twenty-five samples of fresh fillet of five widely consumed fish species purchased from large retailers in Italy, to be used for an estimation of the Italian population exposure to these contaminants. PFOS and PFOA were found in all samples, at concentrations up to 1896 (mean=627 ng/kg) and 487 ng/kg (mean = 75 ng/kg), respectively, confirming the role of fish as high contributor to human exposure. However, a remarkable inter-species variability was observed, and multiple factors were suggested as potentially responsible for such differences, suggesting that the preferential consumption of certain species could likely increase the intake, and thus the exposure. The exposure estimates for both average and high fish consumers resulted far below the tolerable daily intakes for PFOS and PFOA in all age groups, confirming the outcomes of EFSA’s scientific report. In particular, the calculated total dietary exposure for the 95th percentile consumers belonging to the toddler age class, the most exposed group, resulted equal to 9.72 ng/kg body weight (BW)/day for PFOS and 8.39 ng/kg BW/day for PFOA.

Method Development and Validation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Foods from FDA’s Total Diet Study Program

“…Previous studies in the US and other countries have investigated PFAS concentrations in fish purchased at local markets. In the US, PFAS were detected in 21 finfish and shellfish samples with the highest concentrations in fish from the Great Lakes region and in the Netherlands, PFOS was found in tilapia from Ecuador (∼200 ng/kg), shrimp from the Netherlands (∼550 ng/kg), and trout from Turkey (∼425 ng/kg). , In Italy, PFOS was found in 5 highly consumed fish ranging in concentration from 91 to 1896 ng/kg . Additionally, studies in the Czech Republic on canned fish thought to be from the Baltic Sea found PFOS concentrations ranging from 215 to 5401 ng/kg in mackerel, sardine, and cod liver …”

“…46,47 In Italy, PFOS was found in 5 highly consumed fish ranging in concentration from 91 to 1896 ng/kg. 48 Additionally, studies in the Czech Republic on canned fish thought to be from the Baltic Sea found PFOS concentrations ranging from 215 to 5401 ng/kg in mackerel, sardine, and cod liver. 49 Results from the Canadian Total Diet study found that meats contributed to around 90% of the total dietary intake of PFCAs and PFOS, and 2.7 μg/kg of PFOS was found in beef steak and 2.1 μg/kg in ground beef.…”

Bioaccumulation, Biodistribution, Toxicology and Biomonitoring of Organofluorine Compounds in Aquatic Organisms

“…The levels of PFAS in wild sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax were higher (PFOS: 112-12,405 ng/kg; PFOA: 9-487 ng/kg) than those farmed. Interestingly, among farmed sea bass species, intensively farmed fishes showed lower PFAS values (PFOS: 11-105 ng/kg; PFOA: 9-51 ng/kg) compared to those extensively farmed [56].…”

“…For instance, a very recent study based in Tanzania has reported a PFAS contamination level in fish and seafood that would expose humans up to a threefold amount of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), with respect to the tolerable dose, under the regular fish consumption regimen of 0.016-0.027 kg/capita/day [55]. A similar study, taking into account the contamination of flathead mullet (Mugil cephalus), Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and European plaice (Pleuronectes Platessa), hake (Merluccius merluccius), and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), has reported PFAS contamination levels that were above the tolerable daily intake for toddlers' diet in Italy [56]. In this context, despite the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has identified more than 4500 PFAS-related substances [57], only a few of them (<20) are regularly analysed and monitored, thus underestimating the real exposure to PFAS.…”

“…For instance, a study on molluscs from the semi-closed basin of the Bohai (China) and investigating the presence of 23 PFCs, showed differences between aquaculture sites and more restricted areas with PFOA being the more abundant component (87% of the total PFAS) showing a very high frequency of detection (i.e., percentage of samples where PFOA has been detected) of 98%, followed by PFNA, perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (PFDS) and PFOS [95]. Indeed, the most frequently detected PFCs in various tissues of aquatic organisms are long-chain PFAS such as PFOS [56,58,115,[117][118][119] and PFOA [78,83,95]. This frequency is particularly important when referred to organisms that are directly consumed by humans or by endangered species.…”