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Trophodynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Food Web of a Large Atlantic Slope River
Citation:
Penland, T., W. Cope, T. Kwak, M. Strynar, C. Grieshaber, R. Heise, AND F. Sessions. Trophodynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Food Web of a Large Atlantic Slope River. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 54(11):6800-6811, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b05007
Impact/Purpose:
PFAS have been measured in water and aquatic biota for many years. This is the first assessment of PFAS trophic magnification from the Pee Dee drainage in North/South Carolina. This study not only includes the assessment of PFAS in multimedia from aquatic systems using previously published methods, it includes an assessment of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur for trophic transfer. Using this information it is possible to determine trophic magnification factors for select PFAS
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted scientific and regulatory attention due to their persistence, bioaccumulative potential, toxicity, and global distribution. We determined the accumulation and trophic transfer of 14 PFASs (5 short-chain and 9 long-chain) within the food web of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River of North Carolina and South Carolina, US. Food web components and pathways were determined by stable isotope analyses of producers, consumers, and organic matter. Analyses of water, sediment, organic matter, and aquatic biota revealed that PFASs were prevalent in all food web compartments. Biofilm, an aggregation of bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoans and a basal resource for the aquatic food web, showed high PFAS accumulation (in 10 of 14 compounds), particularly for perfluorooctanoic acid, with the greatest mean concentration of 463.73 ng/g. The food web compartment with the most detections and greatest concentrations of PFASs was aquatic insects; all 14 PFASs were detected in individual aquatic insect samples (range of 1.0 (range of 0.57 to 2.33); it is possible that an unmeasured PFBS precursor may be accumulating in biota and metabolizing to PFBS, leading to a higher than expected TMFs for this compound. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of PFASs in a freshwater food web with potential implications for ecological and human health.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Trophodynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Food Web of a Large Atlantic Slope River
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32345015/