Perfluorooctanesulfonate and related fluorochemicals in human blood from several countries.
Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride based compounds have been used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as carpets, upholstery, and textiles. These compounds degrade to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a persistent metabolite that accumulates in tissues of humans and wildlife. Previous studies have reported the occurrence of PFOS, perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) in human sera collected from the United States. In this study, concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOSA were measured in 473 human blood/serum/plasma samples collected from the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Poland, India, Malaysia, and Korea. Among the four perfluorochemicals measured, PFOS was the predominant compound found in blood. Concentrations of PFOS were the highest in the samples collected from the United States and Poland (>30 ng/mL); moderate in Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, and Colombia (3 to 29 ng/mL); and lowest in India (<3 ng/mL). PFOA was the next most abundant perfluorochemical in blood samples, although the frequency of occurrence of this compound was relatively low. No age- or gender-related differences in the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were found in serum samples. The degree of association between the concentrations of four perfluorochemicals varied, depending on the origin of the samples. These results suggested the existence of sources with varying levels and compositions of perfluorochemicals, and differences in exposure patterns to these chemicals, in various countries. In addition to the four target fluorochemicals measured, qualitative analysis of selected blood samples showed the presence of other perfluorochemicals such as perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) in serum samples, at concentrations approximately 5- to 10-fold lower than the concentration of PFOS. Further studies should focus on identifying sources and pathways of human exposure to perfluorochemicals.
Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and Department of Environmental Toxicology and Health, State University of New York, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201-0509, USA. Kkannan@wadsworth.org
Kurunthachalam
K
Kannan
Simonetta
S
Corsolini
Jerzy
J
Falandysz
Gilberto
G
Fillmann
Kurunthachalam Senthil
KS
Kumar
Bommanna G
BG
Loganathan
Mustafa Ali
MA
Mohd
Jesus
J
Olivero
Nathalie
N
Van Wouwe
Jae Ho
JH
Yang
Kenneth M
KM
Aldoust
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D001530:Belgium; D001938:Brazil; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood*; D003710:Demography; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007558:Italy; D007723:Korea; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000097:blood*; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D013784:Textiles; D014481:United States
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D013449:Sulfonamides; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C471071:perfluorohexanesulfonic acid; C063900:perfluorooctanesulfonamide; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid