Do concentrations of perfluoroalkylated acids (PFAAs) in isopods reflect concentrations in soil and songbirds? A study using a distance gradient from a fluorochemical plant

Abstract

Perfluoroalkylated acids (PFAAs) are persistent chemicals that have been detected globally in the environment and in wildlife. Although it is known that PFAAs sorb to solid matrices, little is known on PFAA concentrations in soils. PFAA pollution has often been studied in aquatic invertebrates. However, this has rarely been done on terrestrial species. In the present study, we examined whether the concentrations of 15 PFAAs in isopods (Oniscidae), collected at a fluorochemical plant and in four other areas, representing a gradient in distance from the pollution source (1 km to 11 km), were related to those in the soil and in eggs of a songbird, the great tit (Parus major), collected in the same areas. Additionally, we examined the effect of physicochemical properties such as total organic carbon (TOC) and clay content on the relationship between the concentrations in soil and isopods. Finally, we examined the composition profile in the soil and isopods.Mean PFOS and PFOA concentrations of 1700 ng/g dw and 24 ng/g dw were detected in the soil at the plant. PFOS and PFPeA were the dominant PFAAs in isopods and were detected at mean concentrations of 253 and 108 ng/g ww, respectively. The great tit eggs showed elevated mean PFOS concentrations of 55970 ng/g ww. In most cases, PFAA concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the plant.As PFAA concentrations in isopods were correlated with concentrations in the soils, isopods could serve as a bioindicator for PFAA concentrations in soils. Additionally, there were indications that isopods could also serve as a bioindicator for PFAA concentrations in eggs of great tits. However, these indications were only the case at two locations, showing the need to further monitor the possibilities of using isopods as a bioindicator for PFAA concentrations in song bird eggs.

Are Feathers of a Songbird Model Species (The Great Tit, Parus major) Suitable for Monitoring Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) in Blood Plasma?

“…In blood plasma, the PFOS concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the 3M site, as the concentrations at Vlietbos and Burchtse Weel were significantly lower. Nevertheless, there was a lack of a distance gradient for the other PFAAs examined in this study, which is in agreement with our findings regarding PFAA concentrations in feathers but contrasts with those of previous investigations in this study area on great tit eggs and plasma, soil and isopods. ,,, The reported PFAA concentrations in the present study are among the highest ever reported in wildlife and were only surpassed by those observed in bald eagle nestlings . As the blood plasma samples were part of a larger data set, we refer to Lopez-Antia et al for a more detailed comparison of blood plasma PFAA concentrations with the literature.…”

“…With the exception of PFUnDA, the concentrations of PFAAs were generally higher at the 3M fluorochemical plant, whereas they did not differ among the adjacent sites in most cases. Although this result confirms that the 3M fluorochemical plant in Antwerp can be considered a PFAA hotspot, the lack of a distance gradient in this study is different from previous studies, which showed that PFAA concentrations tended to decrease with increasing distance from the plant. ,,, …”

“…During the autumn of 2015, we placed nest boxes (151) at five sampling sites (Figure ) over a distance gradient from a fluorochemical plant (3M) in Antwerp, Belgium. In addition to the 3M fluorochemical plant (28 nest boxes), which is a known PFAA hotspot that harbors the highest PFOS concentrations ever reported in different abiotic and biotic matrices, ,,,− Vlietbos (24 nest boxes; 1 km SE from 3M), Rot-Middenvijver (further called Rot; 20 nest boxes; 2.3 km ESE from 3M), Burchtse Weel (21 nest boxes; 3 km SE from 3M) and Fort 4 in Mortsel (58 nest boxes; 11 km SE from the plant) were selected as sampling sites. Great tits are highly resident in our nest box populations, with movements between neighboring study sites being extremely limited.…”

“…Chemicals and Reagents. PFAAs are abbreviated according to Buck et al 57 The target analytes were selected based on their detection in earlier monitoring studies in the vicinity of the 3M plant in Antwerp 1,5,44,45,54 and consisted of 11 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids [PFCAs; perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, PFTrDA, and PFTeDA)] and four perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids [PFSAs (perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), PFHxS, PFOS, and perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS)]. Isotopically mass-labeled internal standards (ISTDs; Table S2) were purchased from Wellington Laboratories (Canada).…”

Exposure assessment of PFAS‐contaminated sites using avian eggs as a biomonitoring tool: A frame of reference and a case study in the Po River valley (Northern Italy)

“…Insectivorous and predatory birds are probably best suited to PFAS monitoring, because they are high‐level consumers, and PFAS uptake occurs mainly via food, leading to biomagnification along the trophic chain (Ankley et al, 2021). It has been shown that PFAS levels found in invertebrates, such as earthworms (Navarro et al, 2016) and isopods (Groffen et al, 2019a), can be a good proxy for those found in the tissues of their avian predators (Groffen et al, 2019a). Analogously, both wild and cultivated plants have been reported to accumulate PFAS (Lan et al, 2020).…”