title: Assessment of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Through Fish Consumption in Italy.
abstract: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are pollutants of anthropic origin with possible side effects on human health. Diet, and in particular fish and seafood, is considered the major intake pathway for humans. The present study investigated the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in twenty-five samples of fresh fillet of five widely consumed fish species purchased from large retailers in Italy, to be used for an estimation of the Italian population exposure to these contaminants. PFOS and PFOA were found in all samples, at concentrations up to 1896 (mean=627 ng/kg) and 487 ng/kg (mean = 75 ng/kg), respectively, confirming the role of fish as high contributor to human exposure. However, a remarkable inter-species variability was observed, and multiple factors were suggested as potentially responsible for such differences, suggesting that the preferential consumption of certain species could likely increase the intake, and thus the exposure. The exposure estimates for both average and high fish consumers resulted far below the tolerable daily intakes for PFOS and PFOA in all age groups, confirming the outcomes of EFSA's scientific report. In particular, the calculated total dietary exposure for the 95thpercentile consumers belonging to the toddler age class, the most exposed group, resulted equal to 9.72 ng/kg body weight (BW)/day for PFOS and 8.39 ng/kg BW/day for PFOA.
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna , Ozzano Emilia (BO).
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbarossa
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna , Ozzano Emilia (BO).
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gazzotti
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna , Ozzano Emilia (BO).
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farabegoli
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Assessment Unit, Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, National Institute of Health , Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna , Ozzano Emilia (BO).
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zironi
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Assessment Unit, Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health, National Institute of Health , Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Busani
authors.affiliation: CABA-Lab, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna , Ozzano Emilia (BO).
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pagliuca
keywords: Exposure assessment; Fish; Perfluoroalkyl substances; Perfluorooctane sulfonate; Perfluorooctanoic acid