Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Fish from European Lakes: Current Contamination Status, Sources, and Perspectives for Monitoring

Abstract

Concentrations in fish of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were reported for 7 deep lakes in the European subalpine area: Lakes Geneva, Lugano, Maggiore, Iseo, Como, Garda, and Mergozzo; one shallow lowland lake (Varese); and 2 high‐altitude alpine lakes (>2000 m a.s.l). Fillets and, in selected cases, other body fractions (viscera, liver, and residual carcass) from 8 fish species were analyzed. The possibility of harmonizing the monitoring protocols was tested. Results suggest that the sampling season is not critical for PFASs and the total protein content cannot be used for normalization of tissue concentrations because PFASs bind to specific proteins. Moreover, the polar lipid content could be used to reduce the variability of PFAS concentrations in phospholipid rich fractions of fish such as viscera and carcass. The data comparison and analysis show that the PFAS contamination in lake fish is generally correlated with the degree of urbanization of the lake catchment; however, it is sometimes difficult to compare absolute concentrations in lake fish because the lake hydro‐morphological characteristics play a substantial role in determining the chemical concentrations of persistent and mobile contaminants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:658–676. © 2020 SETAC

Temporal Trends of Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Delaware River Fish, USA

“…Eleven percent of the samples were below estimated detection limits (~0.9 ng/g) and advisories were not estimated (Table 1). By comparison, 44% of these fish fillets exceed a Food Standard Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) trigger value for PFOS in fish of 5.2 ng/g (Taylor 2018) or 33% exceed a European Union Environmental Quality Standard (EU EQS biota ) for PFOS of 9.1 ng/g (Valsecchi et al 2020). Also in 2018, 1 species (white perch) at 1 site (Woodbury Creek) with 0.6 ng/g PFNA exceeded the most protective risk advisory trigger for that compound (0.23 ng/g) for an estimated advisory of no more than 1 meal per week.…”

“…The relationship between PFAS and covariates such as lipids, length, weight, age, or sex of fish are not fully understood (Gewurtz et al 2012; Schultes et al 2019). The PFAAs have an affinity for phospholipids and/or protein with higher concentrations of PFAAs often found in blood serum and liver of fish than in fish muscle tissue (Martin et al 2013; Fliedner et al 2018; Valsecchi et al 2020). There is increasing awareness of adverse effects to humans from PFAAs (Post et al 2013, 2017; Grandjean and Clapp 2015; Grandjean 2018; Ritscher et al 2018).…”

PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

“…Within continental waters, large lakes present special features because of their physical characteristics, especially a long residence time, and the services they can provide to human populations. In fact, they are the main source of drinking water for residential populations [104]. Concerns about PFCs, particularly PFOS and PFOA are growing because they are globally distributed, environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and potentially harmful [105,106].…”

PFAS Environmental Pollution and Antioxidant Responses: An Overview of the Impact on Human Field

“…Within continental waters, large lakes present special features because of their physical characteristics, especially a long residence time, and the services they can provide to human populations. In fact, they are the main source of drinking waters for residential populations [103]. Concerns about PFCs, particularly PFOS and PFOA are growing because they are globally distributed, environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and potentially harmful [104,105].…”