Blood serum concentrations of perfluorinated compounds in men from Greenlandic Inuit and European populations

Abstract

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are used in large quantities. They are persistent and found in measurable levels in human serum around the world. They have been associated with developmental, hepatic, and carcinogenic effects in animal studies. The aim of the present study was to describe levels of PFCs in serum among Inuits from Greenland and inhabitants from Warsaw, Poland and Kharkiv, Ukraine. Furthermore, the aim was to define social- and lifestyle related determinants of exposure for these compounds. Serum levels of seven PFCs were analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were the highest of all PFCs in all three populations with a total amount of almost 90% of the PFCs. The mean levels of PFOS and PFOA were in the Greenlandic Inuits 52 and 4.8 ng mL(-1), in Poland 19 and 5.2 ng mL(-1), and in Ukraine 8.1 and 1.9 ng mL(-1), respectively. Thus, levels of PFCs in the serum of Inuits on Greenland were among the highest described in a general population whereas the levels in Poland were similar to other industrialized countries. The exposure in Ukraine was rather low. In the Greenlandic Inuit population, intake of seafood, tea, age and area of living were significant determinants of PFOS concentrations and explained about 22% of the variation. For the other populations no strong determinants were found.

What is the effect of phasing out long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on the concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids and their precursors in the environment? A systematic review

“…PFOS and other PFSAs are widely distributed in the global environment [34][35][36][37][38], biota [39][40][41][42][43][44] and humans [15,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. Due to the dominance of POSF-based products historically, PFOS is usually the most abundant PFSA found.…”

“…PFCAs in water are relatively bioavailable and have been detected in various living organisms [10][11][12][13][14], including humans [15,16]. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the PFCA manufactured in the largest quantity.…”

Determinants of maternal and fetal exposure and temporal trends of perfluorinated compounds

“…The samples were analyzed according to the method of Lindh et al (2012). Aliquots of 60 µl serum were added with internal standards for all evaluated compounds, and proteins were precipitated with 120 µl…”

“…Three other studies showed inverse associations between PFOS and PFOA levels and BMI in women or men (Fei et al 2007;Eriksen et al 2011;Lindh et al 2012). …”

Serum levels of perfluorinated compounds and sperm Y:X chromosome ratio in two European populations and in Inuit from Greenland

“…The analyses were part of the Erlangen Round Robin inter-laboratory control program. The limits of detection and reproducibility have been described elsewhere [49].…”