Hazard assessment of fluorinated alternatives to long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their precursors: Status quo, ongoing challenges and possible solutions

Wang, Zhanyun; Cousins, Ian T.; Scheringer, Martin; Hungerbuehler, Konrad

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2014.11.013

Cited by 463 publications

(330 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…17 The structural similarity to PFOA also implies that HFPO-DA cannot be metabolized in biota and may have a similar high affinity to proteins, resulting in a potential for bioaccumulation. 45 However, future studies are necessary to fully understand the fate and behavior of HFPO-DA in the environment. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative and Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Differences between European and Chinese River/Estuary Systems

Heydebreck

Tang

Xie

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

264

177

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The production and use of long-chain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) must comply with national and international regulations. Driven by increasingly stringent regulations, their production has been outsourced to less regulated countries in Asia. In addition, the fluoropolymer industry started to use fluorinated alternatives, such as 2,3,3,3tetrafluoro-2-(1,1,2,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropoxy)propanoic acid (HFPO-DA). Between August 2013 and September 2014, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of HFPO-DA and legacy PFASs in surface waters of the following river/estuary systems: the Elbe and Rhine Rivers in Germany, the Rhine-Meuse delta in The Netherlands, and the Xiaoqing River in China. Distinct differences were revealed among the study areas; notably, the Chinese samples were highly polluted by an industrial point source discharging mainly perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This particular point source resulted in concentrations more than 6000 times higher than an industrial point source observed in the Scheur River, where HFPO-DA was the dominant compound with a concentration of 73.1 ng/L. Moreover, HFPO-DA was detected in all samples along the coastline of the North Sea, indicating that the compound may be transported from the Rhine-Meuse delta into the German Bight via the water current. To the best of our knowledge, the fluorinated alternative, HFPO-DA, was detected for the first time in surface waters of Germany and China.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative and Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Differences between European and Chinese River/Estuary Systems

Heydebreck

Tang

Xie

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

264

177

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“…However, concerns have been raised due to the environmental persistence, toxicity, long-range transport and bioaccumulation properties of PFAAs (Lescord et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2015). Continuous release of these substances from various products and applications has made them ubiquitous in environments, such as air (Taniyasu et al, 2013a), water (Wang et al, 2012), sediment (Yeung et al, 2013), wildlife (Persson et al, 2013) and even the human body (Kannan et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk assessment and source identification of perfluoroalkyl acids in surface and ground water: Spatial distribution around a mega-fluorochemical industrial park, China

Liu

Lü

Wang

et al. 2016

Environment International

128

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Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) can be released to water bodies during manufacturing and application of PFAA-containing products. In this study, the contamination pattern, attenuation dynamics, sources, pathways, and risk zoning of PFAAs in surface and ground water was examined within a 10 km radius from a mega-fluorochemical industrial park (FIP). Among 12 detected PFAAs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) dominated, followed by shorter-chained perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). PFAA-containing waste was discharged from the FIP, with levels reaching 1.86 mg/L in the nearby rivers flowing to the Bohai sea together with up to 273 μg/L in the local groundwater in the catchment. These levels constitute a human health risks for PFOA and other shorter-chained PFCAs within this location. The concentrations of ∑PFAAs in surface water strongly correlated with the local groundwater. The dominant pollution pathways of PFAAs included (i) discharge into surface water then to groundwater through seepage, and (ii) atmospheric deposition from the FIP, followed by infiltration to groundwater. As the distance increased from the source, PFAAs levels in groundwater showed a sharp initial decrease followed by a gentle decline. The contamination signal from the FIP site on PFAAs in groundwater existed within a radius of 4 km, and at least 3 km from the polluted Dongzhulong River. The major controlling factor in PFAA attenuation processes was likely to be dilution together with dispersion and adsorption to aquifer solids. The relative abundance of PFOA (C8) declined while those of shorter-chained PFCAs (C4-C6) increased during surface water seepage and further dispersion in groundwater.

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“…26 The apparent ubiquitous distribution of Cl-PFESAs in China, however, illustrates that persistent and bioaccumulative PFASs with significantly lower production volumes (estimated to ∼30 tons/year for F-53B) can also cause significant human exposure on a regional scale. Given that chemicals with lower production volumes often require a less rigorous hazard-and risk assessment, 56 the findings of ClPFESAs in humans may serve as an important example in the context of chemical regulation of PFAS alternatives.…”

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confidence: 99%

Human Exposure and Elimination Kinetics of Chlorinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonic Acids (Cl-PFESAs)

Shi

Vestergren

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

249

167

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ABSTRACT:The incomplete mass-balance of organic fluorine in human serum indicates the existence of unknown per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with persistent and bioaccumulative properties. Here we characterized human exposure and elimination kinetics of chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acids (Cl-PFESAs) in metal plating workers (n = 19), high fish consumers (n = 45), and background controls (n = 8). Cl-PFESAs were detected in >98% of the sampled individuals with serum concentrations ranging <0.019−5040 ng/mL. Statistically higher median serum levels were observed in high fish consumers (93.7 ng/mL) and metal plating workers (51.5 ng/mL) compared to the background control group (4.78 ng/mL) (Kruskal−Wallis rank sum test, p < 0.01). Cl-PFESAs could account for 0.269 to 93.3% of ∑PFASs in human serum indicating that this compound class may explain a substantial fraction of previously unidentified organic fluorine in the Chinese population. Estimated half-lives for renal clearance (median 280 years; range 7.1−4230 years) and total elimination (median 15.3 years; range 10.1−56.4 years) for the eight carbon Cl-PFESA suggest that this is the most biopersistent PFAS in humans reported to date. The apparent ubiquitous distribution and slow elimination kinetics in humans underscore the need for more research and regulatory actions on Cl-PFESAs and PFAS alternatives with similar chemical structures.

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Hazard assessment of fluorinated alternatives to long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their precursors: Status quo, ongoing challenges and possible solutions

Cited by 463 publications

References 69 publications

Alternative and Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Differences between European and Chinese River/Estuary Systems

Alternative and Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Differences between European and Chinese River/Estuary Systems

Risk assessment and source identification of perfluoroalkyl acids in surface and ground water: Spatial distribution around a mega-fluorochemical industrial park, China

Human Exposure and Elimination Kinetics of Chlorinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonic Acids (Cl-PFESAs)

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