You are here:
Toxicity of two long-chain PFAS in larval mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is affected by resource availability
Citation:
Champagne, A., T. Burke, Y. Rericha, C. Heyder, L. Mills, D. Nacci, AND B. Clark. Toxicity of two long-chain PFAS in larval mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is affected by resource availability. 30th NACSETAC Annual Meeting, Woods Hole, MA, April 11 - 12, 2024.
Impact/Purpose:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are becoming more of a concern as they cause adverse health effects, however hazards posed to fish populations are not well understood. Here we exposed larvae from the estuarine fish species Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) to two compounds of the same fluorinated carbon chain length but different functional groups: perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), while also varying resources (food) availability. We assessed growth, mortality, morphological, and behavioral changes during the critically important larval life stage. Findings depict FOSA to be highly toxic regardless of feeding while PFOS to have more of an effect when resources are limited. Overall, this study will provide information that may help to predict the impacts of the combined stresses of resource limitation and PFAS exposure on fish populations.
Description:
Toxicity of two long-chain PFAS in larval mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is affected by resource availability Ashley Champagne1, Tara Burke2, Yvonne Rericha3, Charles Heyder1, Lesley Mills2, Diane Nacci4, and Bryan Clark2 1 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Student Services Contractor, Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, Narragansett, Rhode Island 3 ORISE Fellow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, Narragansett, Rhode Island 4 USEPA retired Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting contaminants that impact the health of fish, wildlife, and humans. However, our understanding of the effects of PFAS on fish is lacking. Our focus here is on the impact of PFAS structural variation and resource limitation on toxicity. We exposed larvae of the estuarine minnow Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) to two compounds of the same carbon chain length (n=8) but different functional groups: perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS; 1, 10, 25, 40 μM) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA; 0, 0.1, 1, 5 μM). Larvae were exposed from 1 day-post-hatch (dph) until 7 dph and fed a pipette drop of live artemia either daily on 2-7 dph (fed) or only on 4 and 7 dph (fasted). Larvae were then transferred to 12-well plates, fed 6 days a week from 7 dph to 21 dph, and various endpoints assessed. For both feeding regimes, 40 μM PFOS was lethal (95-100% mortality), whereas ≤10 μM PFOS was not (0% mortality). However, at 25 μM PFOS, 95% of the fasted group died whereas only 55% of the feed group died. Regardless of feeding, FOSA was significantly more potent than PFOS (≥10 μM FOSA was 100% lethal). When exposed to 5 μM FOSA, 50% of the fasted group died but only 10% of the feed group died, similar to the effect of feeding for 25 μM PFOS exposure. These results demonstrate a potential interaction between feeding and PFAS exposure worth exploring further. These data may eventually inform predictive population models that account for interactions between resource limitation and PFAS exposure.
