Tissue concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in German freshwater fish: Derivation of fillet-to-whole fish conversion factors and assessment of potential risks

Rüdel, Heinz; Radermacher, Georg; Fliedner, Annette; Lohmann, Nina; Koschorreck, Jan; Duffek, Anja

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133483

Cited by 34 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The PFAS profile was dominated by PFOS in fish and PFOA in mussels. Rüdel et al [119] investigated mean PFOS concentrations of 3.2 and 8.0 ng/g fm in roach and perch, respectively, from German inland and coastal waters. In Bremen and Lower Saxony, Germany, PFOS concentrations up to 1000 or 2000 ng/g fm, respectively, were found in fillets of individual river fish caught at two locations near a contaminated site [100].…”

Section: Occurrence In the Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

PFAS: forever chemicals—persistent, bioaccumulative and mobile. Reviewing the status and the need for their phase out and remediation of contaminated sites

Brunn

Arnold²,

Körner

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Eur

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have received increasing scientific and political attention in recent years. Several thousand commercially produced compounds are used in numerous products and technical processes. Due to their extreme persistence in the environment, humans and all other life forms are, therefore, increasingly exposed to these substances. In the following review, PFAS will be examined comprehensively. Results The best studied PFAS are carboxylic and sulfonic acids with chain lengths of C4 to C14, particularly perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). These substances are harmful to aquatic fauna, insects, and amphibians at concentrations of a few µg/L or less, accumulate in organisms, and biomagnify in food webs. Humans, as the final link in numerous food chains, are subjected to PFAS uptake primarily through food and drinking water. Several PFAS have multiple toxic effects, particularly affecting liver, kidney, thyroid, and the immune system. The latter effect is the basis for the establishment of a tolerable weekly dose of only 4.4 ng/kg body weight for the sum of the four representatives PFOA, PFOS, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020. Exposure estimates and human biomonitoring show that this value is frequently reached, and in many cases exceeded. PFAS are a major challenge for analysis, especially of products and waste: single-substance analyses capture only a fragment of the large, diverse family of PFAS. As a consequence, sum parameters have gained increasing importance. The high mobility of per and polyfluorinated carboxylic and sulfonic acids makes soil and groundwater pollution at contaminated sites a problem. In general, short-chain PFAS are more mobile than long-chain ones. Processes for soil and groundwater purification and drinking water treatment are often ineffective and expensive. Recycling of PFAS-containing products such as paper and food packaging leads to carryover of the contaminants. Incineration requires high temperatures to completely destroy PFAS. After PFOA, PFOS and a few other perfluorinated carboxylic and sulfonic acids were regulated internationally, many manufacturers and users switched to other PFAS: short-chain representatives, per- and polyfluorinated oxo carboxylic acids, telomeric alcohols and acids. Analytical studies show an increase in environmental concentrations of these chemicals. Ultra-short PFAS (chain length C1–C3) have not been well studied. Among others, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is present globally in rapidly increasing concentrations. Conclusions The substitution of individual PFAS recognized as hazardous by other possibly equally hazardous PFAS with virtually unknown chronic toxicity can, therefore, not be a solution. The only answer is a switch to fluorine-free alternatives for all applications in which PFAS are not essential.

show abstract

Section: Occurrence In the Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

PFAS: forever chemicals—persistent, bioaccumulative and mobile. Reviewing the status and the need for their phase out and remediation of contaminated sites

Brunn

Arnold²,

Körner

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Eur

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…PFOS, PFDA, PFUnA, and PFDoA were the four main compounds reported by Barbo et al, representing 94.6% of total PFAS detected, similar to the data set used here (99.8% by arithmetic mean of the targeted list used in these analyses). Fish concentrations in other regions such as Canada and Europe have been reported to be as high as 180 and 271 ppb, respectively, in whole-body fish. − Higher concentrations have been found at contaminated sites, such as the northern Mississippi River, where the concentration in a bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) fillet was as high as 2000 ppb . Given the concentrations found in these studies, − our conversion equations can be applied to fish collected from both point and nonpoint sources.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Two for the Price of One: Deriving Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Fillet and Whole-Body Conversion Equations in Fish

Levanduski,

Richter,

Becker

et al. 2024

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose risks to both human and ecological health. Fish consumption advisories are typically based on fillet concentrations, whereas environmental risk assessment for biota depends on whole-body fish concentrations. Reliable equations for conversion between fillet and whole-body concentrations would allow for a single analysis of a fish to function for both human and ecological risk assessment. However, conversion equations do not exist for multiple species, and previous estimates are based on small sample sizes. Here, we assess relationships in 21 fish species and provide conversion equations for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), and perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), four of the most common PFAS detected in fish from New York State. We analyzed 429 fish from 15 water bodies as separate fillet and remainder portions and then used the concentrations and weights of these portions to synthesize a whole-body fish concentration. Using linear models combining all species, the ratio of fillet to whole-body concentrations ranged from 1.77 to 1.91 across the four PFAS chemicals. Total PFAS conversion factors are 1.86 for fillet to whole-body and 0.52 for whole-body to fillet. These values showed consistency among PFAS chemicals, but values of models combining species were lower than those of species-specific models, suggesting the latter are ideal for risk assessment.

show abstract

“…Tissue accumulation of PFNA in fish has been noted in both laboratory and field exposures (Brown et al, 2023; De Silva et al, 2009; Falk et al, 2015; Goodrow et al, 2020; Rüdel et al, 2022). Of the measured tissues in our study, the highest concentrations of PFNA were in the liver, followed by brain and then gonads.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotoxicity and Accumulation of Perfluorononanoic Acid in the Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) and an Approach to Developing Protective Thresholds in the Aquatic Environment Through Species Sensitivity Distribution

Suski¹,

Chanov²,

Heron

et al. 2023

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment. Locations where PFAS‐containing aqueous film‐forming foam (AFFF) has been used or accidentally released have resulted in persistently high concentrations of PFAS, including in surface water that may be adjacent to release sites. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is most frequently measured near AFFF release sites; however, other PFAS are being quantified more frequently and, of those, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) is common. The goal of our study was to fill data gaps on PFNA toxicity to freshwater fish using the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). We aimed to understand how PFNA may impact apical endpoints following a 42‐day exposure to mature fish and a 21‐day exposure to second‐generation larval fish. Exposure concentrations were 0, 124, 250, 500, and 1000 µg/L for both adult (F0) and larval (F1) generations. The most sensitive endpoint measured was development in the F1 generation at concentrations of ≥250 µg/L. The 10% and 20% effective concentration of the tested population for the F1 biomass endpoint was 100.3 and 129.5 µg/L, respectively. These data were collated with toxicity values from the primary literature on aquatic organisms exposed to PFNA for subchronic or chronic durations. A species sensitivity distribution was developed to estimate a screening‐level threshold for PFNA. The resulting hazard concentration protective of 95% of the freshwater aquatic species was 55 µg PFNA/L. Although this value is likely protective of aquatic organisms exposed to PFNA, it is prudent to consider that organisms experience multiple stressors (including many PFAS) simultaneously; an approach to understand screening‐level thresholds for PFAS mixtures remains an uncertainty within the field of ecological risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:1–8. © 2023 SETAC

show abstract

Tissue concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in German freshwater fish: Derivation of fillet-to-whole fish conversion factors and assessment of potential risks

Cited by 34 publications

References 27 publications

PFAS: forever chemicals—persistent, bioaccumulative and mobile. Reviewing the status and the need for their phase out and remediation of contaminated sites

PFAS: forever chemicals—persistent, bioaccumulative and mobile. Reviewing the status and the need for their phase out and remediation of contaminated sites

Two for the Price of One: Deriving Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Fillet and Whole-Body Conversion Equations in Fish

Ecotoxicity and Accumulation of Perfluorononanoic Acid in the Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) and an Approach to Developing Protective Thresholds in the Aquatic Environment Through Species Sensitivity Distribution

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About