High levels of perfluoroalkyl acids in eggs and embryo livers of great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) and herring gull (Larus argentatus) from Lake Vänern, Sweden

Abstract

In the eggs and developing chick livers in the two wild bird species, great cormorant and herring gull, the concentrations of a range of 15 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were determined. Eggs of the two species were collected from Lake Vänern, Sweden, and analysed either as undeveloped egg (whole egg or separated into yolk and albumen) or incubated until start of the hatching process when the chick liver was removed and analysed. High levels of PFAAs were found in all matrixes except albumen. The predominant PFAA was perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which was found in the μg/g wet weight (ww) range in some samples of cormorant whole egg, yolk and liver and herring gull egg yolk and liver. The average concentration in yolk was 1,506 ng/g ww in cormorant and 589 ng/g ww in herring gull. The average liver concentrations of PFOS were 583 ng/g ww in cormorant and 508 ng/g ww in herring gull. At these concentrations, biochemical effects in the developing embryo or effects on embryo survival cannot be ruled out. For perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs), the liver/egg and liver/yolk concentration ratios increased with PFCA chain length in cormorant but not in herring gull, indicating that chain length could possibly affect egg-to-liver transfer of PFCAs and that species differences may exist.

Metabolic Profiling of Chicken Embryos Exposed to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Agonists to Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors

“…The PFOA doses applied in the present study were higher than the levels found in eggs of wild birds [ 24 , 25 , 61 – 63 ] or in plasma from nestlings [ 64 ]. In great cormorant in lake Vänern in Sweden, median PFOA concentration in eggs was 4.0 ng/g and in embryo livers 1.7 ng/g.…”

“…It was recently concluded that PFOA is “known to be toxic” to human reproduction based on evidence of decreased fetal growth in human and other mammalian species [ 23 ]. In birds and other oviparous species, PFAAs are excreted into the eggs and consequently the embryos are exposed during the whole developmental period in ovo [ 24 , 25 ]. There is also some evidence from egg exposure studies in chicken that PFOA may cause embryo mortality [ 26 , 27 ], reduce hatching success [ 28 ], cause cardiotoxicity [ 26 ], and induce neurobehavioral alterations [ 29 ].…”

Effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate on genes controlling hepatic fatty acid metabolism in livers of chicken embryos

“…PFOS is detectable in various animal species (Houde et al 2011 ), and is found in high concentrations in top predator avian species. A study of eggs and developing embryos of the great cormorant and herring gull showed PFOS concentrations in the μg/g wet weight in whole egg and liver (Nordén et al 2013 ). Studies of the effects of environmentally comparable concentrations of PFOS on development of White Leghorn chicken showed reduced embryo survival, significant immunological, neurological and morphological changes in treated embryos compared to controls (Nordén et al 2016 ; Peden-Adams et al 2009 ).…”

Temporal trends of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in eggs of coastal and offshore birds: Increasing PFAS levels associated with offshore bird species breeding on the Pacific coast of Canada and wintering near Asia

“…Air samples from northwestern Europe indicate that PFSAs may be directly transported atmospherically on particulates [11], whereas atmospheric deposition has been suggested as a major contributor of PFAS in some regions (e.g., the Baltic Sea) [12]. In part because of that potential for longrange transport, PFAS have been found globally in the terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments and are now virtually ubiquitous in matrices from those locations, being found in birds [13][14][15][16], aquatic organisms [17][18][19], and mammals [20][21][22][23], including humans [19,24]. The deep ocean has been identified as an environmental sink for these chemicals [4,9], possibly via the sedimentation of sinking particles [10].…”