Large-scale assessment of exposure to legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in China's shorebirds

Jiachen Sun; Yachang Cheng; Zitan Song; Shisheng Ma; Lingling Xing; Kai Wang; Chenjing Huang; Donglai Li; Jiansong Chu; Yang Liu

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.115946

Large-scale assessment of exposure to legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in China's shorebirds

Environ Res. 2023 Jul 15:229:115946. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115946. Epub 2023 Apr 18.

Authors

Jiachen Sun¹, Yachang Cheng², Zitan Song², Shisheng Ma¹, Lingling Xing¹, Kai Wang¹, Chenjing Huang³, Donglai Li⁴, Jiansong Chu⁵, Yang Liu⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, CN-266003, Qingdao, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
³ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
⁴ Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource and Epidemic Disease Prevention, College of Life Sciences, Liaoning University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
⁵ College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, CN-266003, Qingdao, China. Electronic address: oucjs@ouc.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: liuy353@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37080273
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115946

Abstract

Emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become more widely applied, whereas legacy PFAS such as PFOS continue to distribute ubiquitously in the environment. Large-scale assessment of wildlife exposure to both emerging and legacy PFAS plays a key role in effective biomonitoring to better discriminate regional contamination patterns and provide early warnings. Using eggs of two closely-related shorebird species collected across China during the breeding season in 2021, we constructed contrasting PFAS levels and profiles in coastal versus inland populations. The highest ∑PFAS concentrations were found in two Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) populations from the Bohai Sea, a semi-enclosed shallow bay located in northeast China. These two populations showed exceptionally high PFOA concentrations (mean: 94 and 121 ng/g wet weight; West and North Bohai Sea, respectively) dominating the overall PFAS profile (66% for both). This pattern is characteristic, compared to that of other seabird eggs worldwide. By comparison, PFAS profile in the white-faced plover (Charadrius dealbatus) population at the South China Sea coast was dominated by PFOS (46%), which showed similar levels to those at the North Bohai Sea coast (mean: 29 and 20 ng/g, respectively). PFAS concentrations of Kentish plovers from the remote Qinghai Lake were lower compared to the three coastal populations, and were dominated by PFNA (mean: 2.6 ng/g, 29%) and PFOS (mean: 2.5 ng/g, 27%). None of the eggs analyzed in the present study exceeded estimated toxicity reference values for PFOS or PFOA. Additionally, the emerging 6:2 Cl-PFESA was detected in eggs from all regions, while its concentrations were highest in the Bohai Sea populations, and short-chain PFBS was only detected in the North Bohai Sea population. Our results indicate intensive local emissions of PFOA and emerging PFAS at the Bohai Sea region, and warrant further investigation and monitoring.

Keywords: Biomonitoring; Emerging pollutants; PFCs; Shorebirds; Spatial trends.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Alkanesulfonic Acids* / analysis
Animals
Charadriiformes*
China
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Fluorocarbons* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Fluorocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Alkanesulfonic Acids