Crop bioaccumulation and human exposure of perfluoroalkyl acids through multi-media transport from a mega fluorochemical industrial park, China

Abstract

Significant quantities of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are released to the environment from fluorochemical manufacturing processes through wastewater discharge and air emission in China, which may lead to human exposure and health risks through crop bioaccumulation from PFAAs-contaminated soil and irrigation water. This paper systematically studied the distribution and transport of PFAAs in agricultural soil, irrigation water and precipitation, followed by crop bioaccumulation and finally human exposure of PFAAs within a 10km radius around a mega-fluorochemical industrial park (FIP). Hotspots of contamination by PFAAs were found near the FIP and downstream of the effluent discharge point with the maximum concentrations of 641ng/g in agricultural soil, 480ng/g in wheat grain, 58.8ng/g in maize grain and 4,862ng/L in precipitation. As the distance increased from the FIP, PFAAs concentrations in all media showed a sharp initial decrease followed by a moderate decline. Elevated PFAA concentrations in soil and grains were still present within a radius of 10 km of the FIP. The soil contamination was associated with the presence of PFAAs in irrigation water and precipitation, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominant PFAA component in soil. However, due to bioaccumulation preference, short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), especially perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), became the major PFAA contaminants in grains of wheat and maize. The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for both grains showed a decrease with increasing chain length of PFAAs (approximately 0.5 log decrease per CF group). Compared to maize grain, wheat grain showed higher BAFs, possibly related to its higher protein content. The PFCA (C4-C8) concentrations (on a log basis) in agricultural soil and grain were found to show a linear positive correlation. Local human exposure of PFOA via the consumption of contaminated grains represents a health risk for local residents, especially for toddlers and children.

PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

“…A list of the most common perfluorinated substances (PFAS) with their applications and properties [31]. Contamination of agricultural soil with PFAS can occur as a result of direct soil contamination, e.g., by fluorochemical industrial plants [82] or aqueous film-forming foams [83] through the use of biosolids [84] or contaminated irrigation water [31,85]. Consumption of contaminated food and drinking water is regarded as the main pathway of human exposure [86,87], especially the consumption of fish, meat, and eggs [88].…”

Follicular Fluid Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Are Associated With Adverse ART Outcomes in Women With Poor Ovarian Reserve

“…Drinking and dietary intake have been considered the main routes by which PFASs enter the human body [32]. Currently, short-chain PFASs, especially PFBA, have become the major PFAS contaminants in Chinese drinking water, wheat and vegetables [31,33,34,35]. Evidence has also shown that ongoing exposure to even relatively low concentrations of PFASs in drinking water increases human serum levels [33].…”

Recent Advances and Future Trends in the Detection of Contaminants by Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in Food Samples

“…Commonly used nanomaterials include gold nanoparticles (Figueiredo et al, 2016), quantum dots (Ensafi et al, 2017), carbon nanotubes (Akhoundian et al, 2019), graphene (Duan et al, 2016), magnetic nanoparticles (Piletska et al, 2015), and rare-earth nanoparticles (Liu et al, 2017). Many improve the sensitivity via high specific surface areas, adjustable surface properties, and high electrical conductivity.…”