Tissue Distribution and Maternal Transfer of Poly- and Perfluorinated Compounds in Chinese Sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis): Implications for Reproductive Risk

Abstract

It is critical to investigate the tissue distribution and maternal transfer of poly- and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in wild fish for assessing potential effects on ecosystems. Concentrations of 23 PFCs in nine organs and egg were measured in 16 17- to 25-year-old female Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis, an anadromous fish), that died during propagation. Three polyfluorinated amides were detected in stomach, intestine, and gills and 7:3 FTCA was specifically accumulated in liver. The greatest total concentration of PFCs in egg was 35.1 +/- 10.4 ng/g ww and was predominated by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorotridecanoate acid (PFTriDA). The longer-chain C(11)-C(14) and C(16) perfluorinated carboxylates were more accumulated in Chinese sturgeon than PFOS, partly due to the increasing trends of PFCAs with fish age. Maternal transfer ratios of PFCs expressed as ratios of concentrations in the egg to those in the liver ranged from 0.79 (perfluorooctanoate) to 5.5 (PFTriDA), depending on their carbon chain lengths or protein-water coefficients. The PFOS equivalent of PFC mixtures, calculated by multiplying the relative potency factor of each PFC to PFOS by the corresponding concentration, ranged from 90.6 to 262 ng/g. The hazard quotient was 0.20, implying potential reproductive effects of PFCs on Chinese sturgeon.

Bioaccumulation and risk assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in wild freshwater fish from rivers in the Pearl River Delta region, South China

“…The liver/muscle concentration ratios for PFOS were found to range from 6.9 in crucian carp to 42 in snakehead, which are lower than the value of 61.5 in Chinese sturgeon (Peng et al, 2010) and basically at a similar level to the value of 10 in fish from Mediterranean Sea (Nania et al, 2009) and 9.5 for chub from Roter Main River in Bayreuth, Germany (Becker et al, 2010). The mean liver/muscle ratios for PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, PFTrDA and PFTeDA in the present study were 3.0-23, 5.0-30, 3.7-32, 2.8-25 and 2.0-34, respectively.…”

A review of sources, multimedia distribution and health risks of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in China

“…Occurence of PFAAs in biota PFOS is the predominant PFAA in zooplankton and blood serum of fish from a lake receiving wastewater with mean concentrations ranging from 5.7 to 64.2 ng mL À1 , and biomagnification of PFOS in the food chain was also observed . For large wild fish, such as the Chinese Sturgeon, PFOS was the dominant PFAA in eggs, while longer chain C 11 to C 14 and C 16 PFCAs were more accumulated in adult than PFOS (Peng et al, 2010). Age and gender effects were found for certain PFAAs.…”

Field study on the uptake and translocation of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in biosolids-amended soils

“…It is suggested that the uptake of HOCs by plant roots is mainly characterized by lipid dominating partition processes and might be expected to be similar to their accumulation by lipid containing passive samplers (Huang et al, 2010;Tao et al, 2009). The root lipid/organic matter accumulation factors (RLOMCFs, (ng/ g root lipid )/(ng/g SOM )) on the basis of root lipid and SOM ((C root /C lipid )/(C soil /C SOM )) were calculated (Table S4) in order to make a comparison, though it is reported that lipid is not the main compartment of PFAAs in animals and fish (Peng et al, 2010;Hoff et al, 2003). The lipid concentration of wheat roots was found to be 2.18%.…”