Highly Elevated Serum Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Fishery Employees from Tangxun Lake, China

Abstract

Increasing production and use of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has been reported from China, and a few studies have shown there are subpopulations in China with high and increasing exposure to these chemicals. In this paper, we present a comprehensive exposure assessment of PFASs in fishery employees from Tangxun Lake, China. Exceptionally high serum concentrations of C4 to C12 PFASs were observed in fishery employees (n = 39, median perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 10 400 ng/mL) compared to a reference group from the same city (n = 9, median PFOS 18.7 ng/mL). On the basis of the comparison of different exposure pathways, it was concluded that contaminated fish from Tangxun Lake was the primary source of PFAS exposure to fishery employees, and there was a positive association between serum PFAS concentrations and time of employment in the fishery. PFOS isomer profiles in fishery employees showed a significantly higher proportion of linear PFOS (78.4%) compared to the background-exposed reference group (66.8%), reflecting the highly linear PFOS isomer profile (>90%) of lake fish. Median renal clearance rates (CL renal ) of C4 to C10 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkanesulfonic acids (PFSAs) ranged from 0.020 to 16.5 mL/day/kg and 0.013 to 9.43 mL/day/kg, respectively. PFCAs with less than eight perfluoroalkyl carbons were primarily eliminated via urine, whereas other routes of excretion may have contributed to the elimination for long-chain PFCAs and PFSAs. Calculated daily PFOS exposures of fishery employees significantly exceeded tolerable daily intake limits, but clinical blood chemistry parameters were mostly within normal reference ranges. However, additional epidemiological studies are needed to address potential associations between PFAS exposure and health effects in the Tangxun Lake area.

Differential Accumulation and Elimination Behavior of Perfluoroalkyl Acid Isomers in Occupational Workers in a Manufactory in China

“…23 Li et al found a positive correlation between PFOS in urine and serum samples but none for PFOA. 39 In this study, PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS in the paired serum and urine samples showed significant linear correlations with each other (Table S8).…”

“…PFAA concentrations in indoor dust from the occupational settings and the workers' homes were much higher than samples collected from other places in this study and those from areas not affected by the production facility. 23,33,40 Generally, the PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS isomer profiles in indoor dust from the worker's houses were similar to those from the facility, indicating that the PFAAs in the workers' houses could have originated from the manufacturing plant. In the TSP samples collected from the manufacturing facility, the geometric mean PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS concentrations were 2.29, 24.1, and 0.69 ng/m 3 , respectively.…”

Tissue Distribution and Whole Body Burden of the Chlorinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Sulfonic Acid F-53B in Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius): Evidence for a Highly Bioaccumulative Contaminant of Emerging Concern

“…Contrastingly, PFOS concentrations varied more than 2 orders of magnitude between Xiaoqing River (AM 2.097 ng/L) and Tangxun Lake (AM 242.7 ng/L). The substantially elevated concentrations of PFOS in Tangxun Lake have previously been attributed to the direct release from POSF production sources, 23,24 whereas the contamination profile of PFOS along Xiaoqing River was likely influenced by multiple diffuse sources. 32 Although concomitantly high concentrations of F-53B and PFOS have been observed in wastewater from metal plating facilities in China, 14 the differences in F-53B to PFOS ratios between Xiaoqing River and Tangxun Lake indicate that differences in their production sources may also lead to variability in their emission patterns and geographical distribution.…”

Spatial distribution and fate of perfluoroalkyl substances in sediments from the Pearl River Estuary, South China

“…The ERAs for PFOS and PFOA in the sediments in PRE seemed to be negligible due to the relatively low RQ and the phase out of the production of the compounds. However, the potential environmental problem of the short-chain PFASs brought about by the expected increasing usage and production of PFOS substitutes such as PFBS and PFHxS should warrant further study because these compounds have been found in human blood in China with high concentrations (Zhou et al, 2014).…”