Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in waste recycling workers: Distributions in paired human serum and urine

Lin Peng; Wang Xu; Qinghuai Zeng; Feiyun Sun; Ying Guo; Shan Zhong; Fei Wang; Da Chen

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2021.106963

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances in waste recycling workers: Distributions in paired human serum and urine

Environ Int. 2022 Jan:158:106963. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106963. Epub 2021 Oct 28.

Authors

Lin Peng¹, Wang Xu², Qinghuai Zeng², Feiyun Sun³, Ying Guo⁴, Shan Zhong⁵, Fei Wang⁶, Da Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
² Shenzhen Environmental Monitoring Center, Shenzhen 518049, Guangdong, China.
³ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Water Resource Application and Environmental Pollution Control, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁴ School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. Electronic address: a2004280@aliyun.com.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: zhong-shan@126.com.
⁶ School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. Electronic address: feiwang1984@gmail.com.

PMID: 34717172
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106963

Abstract

Occupational exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is an emerging public health concern, because of their potential adverse health effects. In this study, concentrations of 21 legacy and alternative PFASs in paired serum and urine samples collected from 163 workers (from five waste recycling plants) were analyzed. The results showed that the average concentration of 21 PFASs in urine samples (66.6 ng mL^-1) were higher than in serum (31.3 ng mL^-1). Concentrations of perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) in urine were also considerably higher than perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs), especially for short-chain PFCAs. Demographic factors (such as sex, age, working age, and job assignment) on PFAS exposure were also assessed based on the obtained results. PFAS concentrations in serum samples from males were significantly higher than in females, and working age was positively (p < 0.05) associated with most PFAS serum levels. Higher levels of PFAS were found in sorters than in workers with other job assignments, such as managers, suggesting that sorters may be directly exposed to PFASs. Interestingly, perfluorophosphonates (PFPAs) were first to be detected in human urine with >80% detection frequency. The average level of three PFPAs in the serum (7.58 ng mL^-1) and urine (1.45 ng mL^-1) samples appeared to be higher in comparison with most PFCAs and PFSAs. Thus, the toxicity of PFPAs in human beings needs to be further studied.

Keywords: Human exposure; PFASs; PFPAs; Serum; Urine; Workers.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Body Fluids* / chemistry
Environmental Monitoring
Female
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Humans
Male
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical