Legacy and emerging per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in sediment and edible fish from the Eastern Red Sea

Aasim M Ali; Monica Sanden; Christopher P Higgins; Sarah E Hale; Walied M Alarif; Sultan S Al-Lihaibi; Erik Magnus Ræder; Håkon Austad Langberg; Roland Kallenborn

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116935

Legacy and emerging per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in sediment and edible fish from the Eastern Red Sea

Environ Pollut. 2021 Jul 1:280:116935. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116935. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Authors

Aasim M Ali¹, Monica Sanden², Christopher P Higgins³, Sarah E Hale⁴, Walied M Alarif⁵, Sultan S Al-Lihaibi⁵, Erik Magnus Ræder⁶, Håkon Austad Langberg⁷, Roland Kallenborn⁸

Affiliations

¹ Section of Contaminants and Biohazards, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: aasim.ali@hi.no.
² Section of Contaminants and Biohazards, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817, Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO, 80401, USA.
⁴ Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), N-0855 Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Department of Marine Chemistry, Faculty of Marine Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80207, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 0033, Oslo, Norway.
⁷ Geotechnics and Environment, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), N-0855 Oslo, Norway; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.
⁸ Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, Christian M. Falsen Veg 1, No-1432, Ås, Norway; Arctic Technology Department (AT), University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway.

PMID: 33773302
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116935

Abstract

POLY: and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitously detected all around the world. Herein, for the first time, concentrations of 16 selected legacy and emerging PFASs are reported for sediment and edible fish collected from the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Mean concentrations varied from 0.57 to 2.6 μg kg^-1 dry weight (dw) in sediment, 3.89-7.63 μg kg^-1 dw in fish muscle, and 17.9-58.5 μg kg^-1 dw in fish liver. Wastewater treatment plant effluents represented the main source of these compounds and contributed to the exposure of PFAS to biota. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the most abundant compound in sediment and fish tissues analysed, comprising between 42 and 99% of the ∑₁₆PFAS. The short chain perfluorobutanoate (PFBA) was the second most dominant compound in sediment and was detected at a maximum concentration of 0.64 μg kg^-1 dw. PFAS levels and patterns differed between tissues of investigated fish species. Across all fish species, ∑₁₆PFAS concentrations in liver were significantly higher than in muscle by a factor ranging from 3 to 7 depending on fish species and size. The PFOS replacements fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS) and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) exhibited a bioaccumulation potential in several fish species and 6:2 FTS, was detected at a maximum concentration of 7.1 ± 3.3 μg kg^-1 dw in a doublespotted queenfish (Scomberoides lysan) liver. PFBS was detected at a maximum concentration of 2.65 μg kg^-1 dw in strong spine silver-biddy (Gerres longirostris) liver. The calculated dietary intake of PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) exceeded the safety threshold established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2020 in doublespotted queenfish muscle, indicating a potential health risk to humans consuming this fish in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Emerging contaminants. PFOS isomers. Fluorotelomer sulfonate. AFFF. WWTP effluents.

MeSH terms

Alkanesulfonic Acids* / analysis
Animals
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Humans
Indian Ocean
Saudi Arabia
Seafood
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Alkanesulfonic Acids
Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical