Biomonitoring of 89 POPs in blood serum samples of Czech city policemen

Andrea Polachova; Tomas Gramblicka; Kamila Bechynska; Ondrej Parizek; Denisa Parizkova; Darina Dvorakova; Katerina Honkova; Andrea Rossnerova; Pavel Rossner; Radim J Sram; Jan Topinka; Jana Pulkrabova

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118140

Biomonitoring of 89 POPs in blood serum samples of Czech city policemen

Environ Pollut. 2021 Dec 15:291:118140. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118140. Epub 2021 Sep 10.

Affiliations

¹ University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Technicka 3, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
² Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Department of Genetic Toxicology and Epigenetics, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague 4, Czech Republic.
³ Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Department of Nanotoxicology and Molecular Epidemiology Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague 4, Czech Republic.
⁴ University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Technicka 3, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jana.pulkrabova@vscht.cz.

PMID: 34555793
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118140

Abstract

In this biomonitoring study, we evaluated the concentrations of 8 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 11 organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), 33 brominated flame retardants (BFRs), 7 novel brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (novel FRs) and 30 per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in human serum samples (n = 274). A total of 89 persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were measured in blood serum samples of city policemen living in three large cities and their adjacent areas (Ostrava, Prague, and Ceske Budejovice) in the Czech Republic. All samples were collected during the year 2019 in two sampling periods (spring and autumn). The identification/quantification of PCBs, OCPs, BFRs, novel FRs and PFAS was performed by means of gas chromatography coupled to (tandem) mass spectrometry (GC-MS/(MS)) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The most frequently detected pollutants were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), 2,2',3,4,4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB 138), 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB 153), 2,2',3,3',4,4',5-heptachlorobiphenyl (CB 170), 2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptachlorobiphenyl (CB 180), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) quantified in 100% of serum samples. In the serum samples, the concentrations of determined POPs were in the range of 0.108-900 ng g^-1 lipid weight (lw) for PCBs, 0.106-1016 ng g^-1 lw for OCPs, <0.1-618 ng g^-1 lw for FRs and <0.01-18.3 ng mL^-1 for PFAS, respectively. Locality, sampling season, and age were significantly associated with several POP concentrations. One of the important conclusions was that within the spring sampling period, statistically significant higher concentrations of CB 170 and CB 180 were observed in the samples from Ostrava (industrial area) compared to Prague and Ceske Budejovice. Older policemen had higher concentrations of five PCBs and two OCPs in blood serum.

Keywords: City policemen; Czech Republic; Human biomonitoring; POPs; Serum.

MeSH terms

Biological Monitoring
Cities
Czech Republic
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants* / analysis
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Humans
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated* / analysis
Pesticides* / analysis
Polychlorinated Biphenyls* / analysis
Serum / chemistry
Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated
Pesticides
Polychlorinated Biphenyls