Legacy and novel perfluoroalkyl substances in major economic species of invertebrates in South China Sea: Health implication from consumption.

Continuously release of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) would pose non-negligible impacts on environment, organisms, and human health. In present study, 18 PFASs in 7 typical economic invertebrates and their habitats were investigated from the South China Sea. The higher concentrations of PFASs in the nearshore water (6.61-15.54 ng/L) and sediment (0.82-8.84 ng/g) obviously due to frequent human activities. Long-chain PFASs have tendency to accumulate in sediment, however, short-chain PFASs dominated in biota. The acute reference dose (%ARfD) and hazard ratios (HR) of major PFASs in biota were all <100 %, and also below 1, respectively, which means that consumption of PFASs from seafood does not pose risk and threat to human health. However, it should be taken into account that the HR of PFHxA in Mimachlamys nobilis reached 0.82. Potential adverse effects toward human health induced by short-chain PFASs (such as <6 C) via invertebrate seafood consumption should be concerned.

Bioaccumulation and risk mitigation of legacy and novel perfluoroalkyl substances in seafood: Insights from trophic transfer and cooking method.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have widespread application in industrial and civil areas due to their unique physical and chemical properties. With the increasingly stringent regulations of legacy PFAS, various novel alternatives have been developed and applied to meet the market demand. Legacy and novel PFAS pose potential threats to the ecological safety of coastal areas, however, little is known about their accumulation and transfer mechanism, especially after cooking treatment. This study investigated the biomagnification and trophic transfer characteristics of PFAS in seafood from the South China Sea, and assessed their health risks after cooking. Fifteen target PFAS were all detected in the samples, of which perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was dominant with concentrations ranging from 0.76 to 4.12 ng/g ww. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) > 1 were observed for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid (F-53B), indicating that these compounds experienced trophic magnification in the food web. The effects of different cooking styles on PFAS occurrence were further explored and the results suggested that ΣPFAS concentrations increased in most organisms after baking, while ΣPFAS amounts decreased basically after boiling and frying. Generally, there is a low health risk of exposure to PFAS when cooked seafood is consumed. This work provided quantitative evidence that cooking methods altered PFAS in seafood. Further, suggestions to mitigate the health risks of consuming PFAS-contaminated seafood were provided.

Legacy and novel perfluoroalkyl substances in raw and cooked squids: Perspective from health risks and nutrient benefits.

Perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) existed ubiquitously in the environment and could be ingested unconsciously with food which posed a disease risk to human health. Swordtip squid (Uroteuthis edulis) is one of the most popular and highly consumed seafood worldwide, with wide distribution and abundant biomass. Therefore, it is of great importance to the health of the public by reducing the health risks of squid consumption while preserving the benefits of squid to humans. In this study, the PFAS and fatty acids in squids were tested from the southeast coastal regions of China, a major habitat for squids. Relative higher concentrations of PFAS in squid were found in the subtropical zone of southern China (mean: 15.90 ng/g·dw) compared to those of the temperate zone of northern China (mean: 11.77 ng/g·dw). The digestive system had high tissue/muscle ratio (TMR) values, and the pattern of TMR among the same carbon-chain PFAS was similar. Cooking methods have a significant contribution to eliminating PFAS (in squids). PFAS were transferred from squids to other mediums after cooking, so juice and oil should be poured out to minimize PFAS exposure into body. The result showed that squids can be regarded as a healthy food by health benefits associated with fatty acids. Estimated daily intake (EDI) had the highest level in Korea via consuming squids through cooking processes compared with other countries. Based on the assessment of the hazard ratios (HRs), there was a high exposure risk of perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) via taking squids for human health. This research provided the theoretical guidance of aquatic product processing in improving nutrition and reducing harmful substances.

Cooking methods effectively alter perfluoroalkyl substances and nutrients in cultured and wild bullfrogs.

The ubiquitous distribution of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) poses a threat to the health of aquatic organisms and humans. Bullfrogs are considered a popular aquatic food product in South China, providing high protein and tasty cuisine; however bullfrogs have been shown to contain significant concentrations of PFASs. However, the risk-benefit ratios of PFASs and nutrient contents in cooked bullfrogs are not well understood. PFASs and nutrients were investigated in raw and cooked specimens of cultured and wild bullfrogs in this study. Novel PFASs showed higher detection levels and accumulation in wild bullfrogs than in cultured bullfrogs. Potential factors such as fat and fatty acid ratio affected PFASs accumulation in different tissues and by different cooking methods of bullfrogs. All cooking methods can reduce PFASs in edible tissues while significantly enhancing the nutritive value index (NVI) compared to raw bullfrogs. Steaming was the most effective way to reduce PFASs (rate of reduction was over 66%) and resulted in a lower risk of contributing to arteriosclerosis than other cooking methods assessed by atherogenicity index (AI) values. Cultured bullfrogs instead of wild bullfrogs were recommended for human consumption, and steaming was regarded as a better cooking method in terms of risk-benefit concerns. Overall, this work provides quantitative analysis of cooking methods that alter PFASs and nutrients in bullfrogs.

Perfluoroalkyl substances in marine food webs from South China Sea: Trophic transfer and human exposure implication.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are known to be persistent and toxic, and can be accumulated and trophic magnified in the environments. PFASs are widely distributed, and their coastal input poses a threat to the health of aquatic organisms and local residents. In present study, 17 PFASs including one emerging polyether substitute in water, sediment, and organisms were investigated from the South China Sea. Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was predominant in water, of which concentration ranged from ND to 10.26 ng/L, with a mean of 5.21 ng/L. Similar to sediment and organisms, PFBA was the substance with the highest concentration detected among PFASs. This result seemingly indicated that use of short-chain PFASs as substitutes for long-chain PFASs in recent years. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) of PFASs were estimated in the marine food web. TMFs > 1 was observed only in perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), indicating a biomagnification potential of PFOS in the given ecosystem. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of PFOS and PFOA were most prevalent in mollusk, whereas the EDI of PFBA was greater in fish and shrimp. The hazard ratio (HR) reported for seven dominant PFASs were lower than 1, which suggests that PFASs via seafood consumption would not cause significant health risk to local residents.

Are there risks induced by novel and legacy poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in coastal aquaculture base in South China?

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised great attention as emerging contaminants due to their persistent and bioaccumulative characteristics. Following the global actions to limit perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and its salts, chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (F-53B), as an alternative perfluorochemical, has been a focus during this period. In this study, PFASs in coastal seawater, sediment, and seaweed from the significant aquaculture bases of Porphyra haitanensis in the southeast of China were investigated. Their bioaccumulation and ecological risk were elucidated and associated human exposures to PFASs with consumption of aquatic products for rural and urban groups were calculated. The total PFASs levels in seawater and sediment were 21.52-241.86 ng/L and 4.55-26.54 ng/g·dw, respectively. F-53B was found frequently and has relative high concentration in seawater (ND-2.13 ng/L). The Porphyra haitanensis and Siganus fuscescens were also analyzed, with PFASs concentrations ranging from 10.45 to 29.98 ng/g·dw and 7.17 to 25.43 ng/g·dw, respectively. The total logarithm BAF of F-53B and PFOS in two kinds of detected seafoods were within 0-2.94 and 2.01-3.25, these values did not vary in different sites. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of PFASs through aquatic products consumption in rural and urban residents were 0.03-26.50 ng/kg bw/day and 0.17-37.01 ng/kg bw/day, respectively, based on the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese residents. The total EDI of PFASs via Porphyra haitanensis and Siganus fuscescens in different groups were significantly lower than the suggested tolerable daily intake (PFOS, 150 ng/kg bw/day; PFOA, 1500 ng/kg bw/day), which indicates that PFASs did not induce health risks to the residents living around these aquaculture bases.