Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in fish from two developed regions of China: Occurrence, influencing factors and implication for human exposure via consumption

Yumei Huang; Xian Qing; Guo Jiang; Laiguo Chen; Qiusheng He; Xiang-Zhou Meng; Bo Gao

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.07.048

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins in fish from two developed regions of China: Occurrence, influencing factors and implication for human exposure via consumption

Chemosphere. 2019 Dec:236:124317. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.07.048. Epub 2019 Jul 6.

Authors

Yumei Huang¹, Xian Qing², Guo Jiang², Laiguo Chen³, Qiusheng He⁴, Xiang-Zhou Meng⁵, Bo Gao²

Affiliations

¹ Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ecological Environment Simulation and Protection, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510655, China.
² State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ecological Environment Simulation and Protection, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510655, China.
³ State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Urban Ecological Environment Simulation and Protection, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, 510655, China. Electronic address: chenlaiguo@scies.org.
⁴ Coal Mining Safety and Coal Pollution Control Research Center, College of Environment and Safety, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China. Electronic address: xzmeng@tongji.edu.cn.

PMID: 31325827
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.07.048

Abstract

The risk associated with human exposure to short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) via dietary intake are of great concern because of the bioaccumulation potential of SCCPs in biota and adverse effects. Fish are an important food source for human beings. However, there is a paucity of studies on human exposure to SCCPs via fish consumption. In this study, SCCPs were measured in frequently consumed river fish from the Pearl River Delta, and farmed freshwater fish and wild sea fish from the Yangtze River Delta. Lipid-normalized SCCP levels in river fish ranged from 3000 to 41,000 ng/g lipid weight (lw), with an average of 16,000 ± 12,000 ng/g lw. SCCP concentrations in farmed fish were significantly lower than those in river fish (p < 0.05), but significantly higher than those in sea fish (p < 0.05). Homologue patterns of SCCPs in river fish, farmed fish and sea fish were similar, with C₁₀_-₁₁Cl_6-7 SCCPs being the predominant homologues. SCCP concentrations in river fish increased significantly with increasing lipid content (p < 0.01), indicating that lipid content was a controlling factor influencing SCCP concentrations. Body length and weight also played important roles in SCCP concentrations in river fish, as SCCP concentrations decreased with the increase of body length and weight of breams, keeled mullets and tilapias. Although risk assessment implied no significant risk for human exposure to SCCPs via consuming fish collected in this study, the estimated daily intakes indicated that the consumption of sea fish was safer than farmed freshwater fish.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Fish; Homologue pattern; Risk assessment; Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs).

MeSH terms

Animals
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Fishes
Humans
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / analysis
Paraffin / chemistry*
Risk Assessment

Substances

Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
Paraffin