Exposure of an adult population to perfluorinated substances using duplicate diet portions and biomonitoring data.
Because dietary intake is supposed to be an important route of human exposure we quantified the dietary intake of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorohexanoate (PFHxA), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) using 214 duplicate diet samples. The study was carried out with a study population of 15 female and 16 male healthy subjects aged 16-45 years. The participants collected daily duplicate diet samples over seven consecutive days in 2005. Duplicate samples were homogenized and their ultrasonic extracts were cleaned up by SPE and subjected to HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. In addition, individual intakes were estimated based on blood levels of PFOS and PFOA using a pharmacokinetic model. Blood samples were collected once during the sampling period. The median (90th percentile) daily dietary intake of PFOS and PFOA was 1.4 ng/kg b.w. (3.8 ng/kg b.w.) and 2.9 ng/kg b.w. (8.4 ng/kg b.w.), respectively. PFHxS and PFHxA could be detected only in some samples above detection limit with median (maximum) daily intakes of 2.0 ng/kg b.w. (4.0 ng/kg b.w.) and 4.3 ng/kg b.w. (9.2 ng/kg b.w.), respectively. Because PFOSA could not be detected above the limit of detection of 0.2 ng/g f.w. this indirect route of exposure seems to be of less significance. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that the German population is exposed to PFOS and PFOA, but the median dietary intake did not reach the recommended tolerable daily intake by far. Biomonitoring data predict an exposure in a comparable range. We suppose that, normally, food intake is the main source of exposure of the general population to PFOS and PFOA.
Fromme
Hermann
H
Department of Environmental Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterindiirstrasse 2, D-85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany. hermann.fromme@lgl.bayern.de
Schlummer
Martin
M
Möller
Angela
A
Gruber
Ludwig
L
Wolz
Gerd
G
Ungewiss
Jan
J
Böhmer
Sigrun
S
Dekant
Wolfgang
W
Mayer
Richard
R
Liebl
Bernhard
B
Twardella
Dorothee
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D004032:Diet; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005461:Fluorine / Q000737:chemistry; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D005502:Food; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000737:chemistry
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D013449:Sulfonamides; D005461:Fluorine; C073608:perfluorooctane; C063900:perfluorooctanesulfonamide; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; C078626:perflexane