Trophic Magnification of Short-Chain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in a Terrestrial Food Chain from the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

While there is a lack of information about the trophic transfer of short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the terrestrial ecosystem, this study focused on the occurrence and trophic transfer of both legacy and short-chain PFASs in a terrestrial food chain composed of the plants, plateau pikas, and eagles of the Tibetan Plateau. Total PFAS concentrations were in the range of 0.130–1.507, 0.406–1.085, 0.601–8.293, and 5.021–76.482 ng/g dw in soils, plants, pika muscles, and eagle muscles, respectively, among which perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) were predominant in all sample types. Levels of PFASs in eagle feathers were significantly correlated with those in eagle muscles (r = 0.73), implying feathers could be used as an indicator of exposure of raptors to PFASs. Trophic magnification factors of PFOS (5.75), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (2.43), C10–C12 perfluorocarboxylic acids (1.84–4.65), PFBA (5.11), and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (5.96) along the plant–pika–eagle food chain were all significantly greater than 1. The short-chain PFASs may be biomagnified in air-breathing animals because of the nonvolatility of their charged forms and recalcitrance (not biotransformed). The results suggest that the ecological risks of these short-chain substitutions warrant further investigation.

Plant Uptake of Trace Organic Contaminants in Effluent-Dominated Streams: An Overlooked Terrestrial Exposure Pathway

“… ,,, For example, primidone and phenytointwo relatively stable compoundshave been detected in cabbage and lettuce irrigated with treated wastewater . Likewise, plant uptake and translocation could be an important entry pathway for short-chain per and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are persistent and bioaccumulative in terrestrial systems. − Finally, potent systemic insecticides such as fipronil, which can be present in treated wastewater at concentrations as high as 340 ng/L, could undergo plant uptake and translocation because these insecticides are designed to be distributed throughout plants after application to seeds . Attempts to quantify fipronil in the plants from this study were hindered by high background levels of the compound detected in the willow leaves used for matrix matching, low porewater concentrations, and relatively high limits of quantification for the compound.…”

PFASs in Soil: How They Threaten Human Health through Multiple Pathways and Whether They Are Receiving Adequate Concern

“…Huang et al (2022) reported the trophic magnification of PFASs in a terrestrial food chain of the Tibetan Plateau. 130 Yet, the transfer and transformation of soil PFASs in livestock and the wild food webs remain poorly understood.…”

“…These results exhibit a great potential of soil PFASs to be an essential source of PFASs in vertebrates. Huang et al (2022) reported the trophic magnification of PFASs in a terrestrial food chain of the Tibetan Plateau . Yet, the transfer and transformation of soil PFASs in livestock and the wild food webs remain poorly understood.…”

Thermal Decomposition of Two Gaseous Perfluorocarboxylic Acids: Products and Mechanisms

“…3,10 Similar ecological health outcomes have also been observed for animals exposed to PFASs, in part because some PFASs are highly bioaccumulative. 11,12 The toxicity, bioaccumulation, and persistence of PFASs have attracted the attention of the scientific and regulatory community. 13 To address PFAS contamination, thermal treatments such as incineration, 14−16 smoldering, 17 pyrolysis of biosolids, 18,19 and regeneration of granular activated carbon (GAC) 20−22 are currently being studied.…”