Perfluorinated Compounds in Fish and Blood of Anglers at Lake Möhne, Sauerland Area, Germany

Abstract

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) were measured in fish samples and blood plasma of anglers in a cross-sectional study at Lake Möhne, Sauerland area, Germany. Human plasma and drinking water samples were analyzed by solid phase extraction, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). PFCs in fish fillet were measured by ion pair extraction followed by HPLC and MS/MS. PFOS concentrations in 44 fish samples of Lake Möhne ranged between 4.5 and 150 ng/g. The highest median PFOS concentrations have been observed in perches (median: 96 ng/g) and eels (77 ng/g), followed by pikes (37 ng/g), whitefish (34 ng/g), and roaches (6.1 ng/g). In contrast, in a food surveillance program only 11% of fishes at retail sale contained PFOS at detectable concentrations. One hundred five anglers (99 men, 6 women; 14-88 years old; median 50.6 years) participated in the human biomonitoring study. PFOS concentrations in blood plasma ranged from 1.1 to 650 μg/L (PFOA: 2.1-170 μg/L; PFHxS: 0.4-17 μg/L; LOD: 0.1 μg/L). A distinct dose-dependent relationship between fish consumption and internal exposure to PFOS was observed. PFOS concentrations in blood plasma of anglers consuming fish 2-3 times per month were 7 times higher compared to those without any fish consumption from Lake Möhne. The study results strongly suggest that human internal exposure to PFC is distinctly increased by consumption of fish from PFC-contaminated sites.

Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances through the consumption of fish from lakes affected by aqueous film-forming foam emissions — A combined epidemiological and exposure modeling approach. The SAMINOR 2 Clinical Study

“…The PFOS concentrations (0.9-287 ng/mL) we observed were considerably lower than those found in 2008 among German anglers (1.1-650 ng/mL, year 2008) consuming fish contaminated from agricultural activities (Hölzer et al, 2011). PFOS concentrations in our high consumption group were much lower than those found high consumers in the German study (N 23 times per year), which may be due to differences in the frequency of intake or the contamination level of freshwater fish.…”

“…In addition, several biological factors play a role in the burden of PFASs in the body, including age, gender, reproductive factors, and compound specific toxicokinetics Denys et al, 2014;Harada and Koizumi, 2009;Haug et al, 2010;Lorber et al, 2015;Miralles-Marco and Harrad, 2015;Nost et al, 2014). In this context, toxicokinetic models are useful for the quantitative interpretation of biomonitoring data and exposure prediction (Hölzer et al, 2011;Zhou et al, 2014).…”

Levels of persistent contaminants in relation to fish consumption among older male anglers in Wisconsin

“…Our findings regarding associations with PFCs are thus particularly interesting; PFCs are a relatively newer class of contaminants (compared with mercury and PCBs) where the major source is dietary, and specifically, seafood consumption (e.g., (D’Hollander et al, 2010; Denys et al, 2014; Falandysz et al, 2006; Haug et al, 2010; Holzer et al, 2011)). Some of these studies were conducted specifically among anglers, providing support to the observation of increased biomarker concentration with increased fish consumption among anglers in this study (Falandysz et al, 2006; Holzer et al, 2011). Further, a growing number of studies are identifying potential health effects associated with exposure to PFCs (e.g.,(Domingo, 2012)).…”

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

“…The elevated concentrations of several long-chain PFCAs are generally in line with previous studies of fishermen from contaminated areas. 34 Interestingly, PFBA and PFBS, which are not considered to be bioaccumulative, 4 were observed at comparable concentrations as the long-chain PFCAs. The elevated concentrations of short-chain PFASs in fishery employees indicate a high recent exposure and highlights the need to better understand the exposure pathways and elimination kinetics of these compounds (see following sections).…”