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AN INTERLABORATORY STUDY OF PERFLUORINATED ALKYL COMPOUND LEVELS IN HUMAN PLASMA
Citation:
Longnecker, M. P., C. S. Smith, G. E. Kissling, J. HOPPIN, J. L. Butenhoff, E. Decker, D. J. Ehresman, M. E. Ellefson, J. Flaherty, M. S. Gardner, E. Langlois, A. LeBlanc, A. B. LINDSTROM, W. K. Reagen, M. J. STRYNAR, AND W. B. Studabaker. AN INTERLABORATORY STUDY OF PERFLUORINATED ALKYL COMPOUND LEVELS IN HUMAN PLASMA. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH. Academic Press Incorporated, Orlando, FL, 107(2):152-159, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
The overall goal of this work is to provide support to OPPTS in evaluating potential environmental and human health problems associated with release of PFCs into the environment. Specific research objectives include the following.
o Development and application of a multi-compound method for the collection, extraction, and analysis of PFCs in raw and finished water.
o Development and application of a multi-compound method for the collection, extraction, and analysis of PFCs in soil.
o Development and application of a method for the extraction and analysis of PFCs in human blood serum.
o Development and application of methods to support NHEERL toxicology studies that will inform the risk assessment process.
Description:
The present study was designed to investigate intra- and interlaboratory variability in results from six laboratories experienced in the analysis of perfluorinated alkyl compounds in blood matrices and that use stringent procedures to control and assure accuracy and precision. Each received an identical set of 60 plasma specimens that were analyzed in 6 completely independent batches. Split specimens were included so that within- and between-batch coefficients of variation could be calculated. All laboratories used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In general, the concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooetanoate (PFOA), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) measured in the specimens showed a high degree of concordance across laboratories. The average within- and between-batch coefficient of variation for PFOS was 9.1% and 9.3%; for PFOA was 14.5% and 14.5%; and for PFHxS was 14.5% and 17.0%. The recent availability of labeled internal standards, among other advances, has facilitated improvement in the accuracy and precision of the assays. Considering the degree of between-subject variation in levels among people in background exposed populations, the results indicate that biomarker-based epidemiologic studies of associations with health could have reasonable precision.