title: Blood serum concentrations of perfluorinated compounds in men from Greenlandic Inuit and European populations.
abstract: Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are used in large quantities. They are persistent and found in measurable levels in human serum around the world. They have been associated with developmental, hepatic, and carcinogenic effects in animal studies. The aim of the present study was to describe levels of PFCs in serum among Inuits from Greenland and inhabitants from Warsaw, Poland and Kharkiv, Ukraine. Furthermore, the aim was to define social- and lifestyle related determinants of exposure for these compounds. Serum levels of seven PFCs were analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were the highest of all PFCs in all three populations with a total amount of almost 90% of the PFCs. The mean levels of PFOS and PFOA were in the Greenlandic Inuits 52 and 4.8 ng mL(-1), in Poland 19 and 5.2 ng mL(-1), and in Ukraine 8.1 and 1.9 ng mL(-1), respectively. Thus, levels of PFCs in the serum of Inuits on Greenland were among the highest described in a general population whereas the levels in Poland were similar to other industrialized countries. The exposure in Ukraine was rather low. In the Greenlandic Inuit population, intake of seafood, tea, age and area of living were significant determinants of PFOS concentrations and explained about 22% of the variation. For the other populations no strong determinants were found.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden. Christian.Lindh@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Christian H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lindh
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rylander
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toft
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Axmon
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rignell-Hydbom
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giwercman
authors.forename: Henning S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Góalczyk
authors.forename: Jan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Ludwicki
authors.forename: Valentyna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zvyezday
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: Virissa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lenters
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heederik
authors.forename: Jens Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bonde
authors.forename: Bo A G
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jönsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood*; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood*; D006116:Greenland; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008297:Male; D017747:Seafood; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid