Bioaccumulation of polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Lake Huron aquatic food web

Junda Ren; Adam D Point; Sadjad Fakouri Baygi; Sujan Fernando; Philip K Hopke; Thomas M Holsen; Bernard S Crimmins

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.152974

Bioaccumulation of polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Lake Huron aquatic food web

Sci Total Environ. 2022 May 1:819:152974. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.152974. Epub 2022 Jan 8.

Authors

Junda Ren¹, Adam D Point², Sadjad Fakouri Baygi³, Sujan Fernando⁴, Philip K Hopke⁵, Thomas M Holsen⁶, Bernard S Crimmins⁷

Affiliations

¹ Clarkson University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.
² Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA.
³ Clarkson University, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.
⁴ Clarkson University, Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.
⁵ Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA; Clarkson University, Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
⁶ Clarkson University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA; Clarkson University, Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA.
⁷ Clarkson University, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA; AEACS, LLC, New Kensington, PA, USA. Electronic address: bernard.crimmins@aeacsllc.com.

PMID: 35007599
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.152974

Abstract

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of fluorinated organic chemicals that have been produced for industrial and commercial application since the 1950s. PFAS are highly persistent and ubiquitous in water, sediment, and biota. Toxic effects of PFAS on humans and the ecosystem have increased scientific and public concern. To better understand the distribution of PFAS in the Laurentian Great Lakes, carbon (¹²C and ¹³C) and nitrogen (¹⁴N and ¹⁵N) stable isotope enrichment, fatty acid profiles, and PFAS were measured in the Lake Huron (LH) aquatic food web. The trophic level of the organisms was estimated using δ¹⁵N and found to be a determinant of PFAS biomagnification. The δ¹³C and fatty acid profiles were used to assess the carbon/energy flow pathway and predator-prey relationships, respectively. The δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and fatty acids were used to elucidate the trophodynamics and understand the PFAS trophic transfer in the LH aquatic food web. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was the dominant PFAS observed, followed by C9 - C11 perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCA). The highest PFOS concentrations (45 ± 11 ng/g, wet weight (wwt)) were detected in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), while the highest total PFCA concentrations (sum of C4 - C16 PFCAs) were detected in deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii). With the exception of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), C8-C14 PFAS biomagnification factors (BMFs) were found to be generally greater than 1, suggesting PFAS biomagnification from prey to predator. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) of C8-C14 PFCA were found to be independent of compound hydrophobicity.

Keywords: Biomagnification factors; Food web; Hydrophobicity; Polyfluoroalkyl substances.

MeSH terms

Bioaccumulation
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Food Chain
Lakes / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical