| 1. |
- de Boer, J., et al.
(author)
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United Nations Environment Programme Capacity Building Pilot Project : training and interlaboratory study on persistent organic pollutant analysis under the Stockholm Convention
- 2008
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In: Analytica Chimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-2670 .- 1873-4324. ; 617:1-2, s. 208-215
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Within the framework of a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Capacity Building Project for training of laboratory staff in developing countries on persistent organic pollutant (POP) analysis, an interlaboratory study was organised following an initial evaluation of the performance of laboratories (reality check) and a series of training sessions. The target compounds were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP). Seven laboratories from five countries (Ecuador, Uruguay, Kenya, Moldova, and Fiji) participated. Most of the laboratories had no experience in determining PCBs. Although chromatograms improved considerably after the training and installation of new gas chromatographic (GC) columns at participating laboratories, the level of performance in the interlaboratory study was essentially on par with the moderate performance level achieved by European POP laboratories in the 1980s. Only some individual results were within +/-20% of the target values. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.s) in POP concentrations determined by laboratories in a sediment sample were >200% in a number of cases. The results for a certified herring sample were better with at least some R.S.D. values below 50% and most below 100%. Clean up was as one of the main sources of error. After inspection it was ascertained that training of laboratory staff and investments in simple consumables such as glassware and GC columns would help to improve the quality of the analysis more than major investments in expensive instrumentation. Creating an effective network of POP laboratories at different continents together with a series of interlaboratory studies and workshops is suggested to improve the measurements of POPs in these countries.
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| 2. |
- Ericson Jogsten, Ingrid, et al.
(author)
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Human exposure to perfluorinated chemicals through the diet : intake of perfluorinated compounds in foods from the Catalan (Spain) market
- 2008
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In: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0021-8561 .- 1520-5118. ; 56:5, s. 1787-1794
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to determine the dietary intake of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) by the population of Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain). PFC levels were determined in 36 composite samples of foodstuffs randomly purchased in various locations. Exposure to PFCs through the diet was estimated for various age/gender groups. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorocarboxylate perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) were the only detected PFCs in foodstuffs. On average, for a standard adult man (70 kg of body weight), the dietary intake of PFOS was estimated to be 62.5 or 74.2 ng/day (assuming ND=0 or ND=1/2 LOD, respectively). Fish, followed by dairy products and meats, were the main contributors to PFOS intake. For an adult man, the intake of PFOS (1.07 ng/kg/day) and those of PFOA and PFHpA were lower than that recently reported for Canada (4.0 ng/kg/day), and considerably lower than that previously found in the United Kingdom, the only two countries where, to date, results concerning this issue have been reported. A correlation between dietary intake and blood levels of PFOS is suggested. However, the current results do not justify dietary intake as the main route of exposure governing blood concentrations of other PFCs.
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| 3. |
- Ericson Jogsten, Ingrid, et al.
(author)
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Levels of perfluorochemicals in water samples from Catalonia, Spain : is drinking water a significant contribution to human exposure?
- 2008
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In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. - Heidelberg, Germany : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0944-1344 .- 1614-7499. ; 15:7, s. 614-619
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: In recent years, due to a high persistence, biomagnification in food webs, presence in remote regions, and potential toxicity, perfluorochemicals (PFCs) have generated a considerable interest. The present study was aimed to determine the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and other PFCs in drinking water (tap and bottled) and river water samples from Tarragona Province (Catalonia, Spain). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Municipal drinking (tap) water samples were collected from the four most populated towns in the Tarragona Province, whereas samples of bottled waters were purchased from supermarkets. River water samples were collected from the Ebro (two samples), Cortiella, and Francolí Rivers. After pretreatment, PFC analyses were performed by HPLC-MS. Quantification was done using the internal standard method, with recoveries between 68% and 118%. RESULTS: In tap water, PFOS and PFOA levels ranged between 0.39 and 0.87 ng/L (0.78 and 1.74 pmol/L) and between 0.32 and 6.28 ng/L (0.77 and 15.2 pmol/L), respectively. PFHpA, PFHxS, and PFNA were also other detected PFCs. PFC levels were notably lower in bottled water, where PFOS could not be detected in any sample. Moreover, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, PFOSA, and PFDA could be detected in the river water samples. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were between <0.24 and 5.88 ng/L (<0.48 and 11.8 pmol/L) and between <0.22 and 24.9 ng/L (<0.53 and 60.1 pmol/L), respectively. DISCUSSION: Assuming a human water consumption of 2 L per day, the daily intake of PFOS and PFOA by the population of the area under evaluation was calculated (0.78-1.74 and 12.6 ng, respectively). It was found that drinking water might be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: The contribution of drinking water (tap and bottled) to the human daily intake of various PFCs has been compared for the first time with data from dietary intake of these PFCs. It was noted that in certain cases, drinking water can be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants although the current concentrations were similar or lower than those reported in the literature for surface water samples from a number of regions and countries. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Further studies should be carried out in order to increase the knowledge of the role of drinking water in human exposure to PFCs.
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| 4. |
- Ericson Jogsten, Ingrid, et al.
(author)
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Perfluorinated chemicals in blood of residents in Catalonia (Spain) in relation to age and gender : a pilot study
- 2007
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In: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 33:5, s. 616-623
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fluorinated organic compounds (FOCs) are a group of chemicals widely used as surfactants, lubricants, polymers, and fire-fighting foams. Recent studies have shown the ubiquitous distribution of FOCs in the environment, wildlife, and humans. We here report the results of a pilot study conducted to provide preliminary data on the levels of 13 FOCs in the blood of 48 residents in Catalonia, Spain, in relation to gender and age (25+/-5 and 55+/-5 years). The highest mean concentration was obtained for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, 7.64 ng/ml), followed by perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS, 3.56 ng/ml) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, 1.80 ng/ml). Four other FOCs showed mean levels between 0.30 and 0.44 ng/ml, whereas those of the remaining 6 compounds were below the detection limit. Regarding gender, the blood levels of PFHxS and PFOA were significantly higher (p<0.05) in men than in women, while differences according to age were only noted for PFHxS (p<0.05) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) (p<0.001), for which the levels were higher in the younger (25+/-5 years) group of subjects. A significant correlation between PFOS levels and those of the remaining detected FOCs (except PFDA) was found. In general terms, the current FOC concentrations were lower than those found in recent studies concerning levels of these chemicals in human blood and serum of subjects from different countries.
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| 5. |
- Hardell, Lennart, et al.
(author)
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Adipose tissue concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and the risk of prostate cancer
- 2006
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In: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 48:7, s. 700-707
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the concentrations of certain persistent organic pollutants with endocrine-disrupting properties in cases with prostate cancer and controls with benign prostate hyperplasia. METHODS: Adipose tissue was obtained from 58 cases and 20 controls. RESULTS: The median concentration among controls was used as cut-off in the statistical analysis. In the total material, a greater-than median concentration of PCB congener 153 yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 3.15 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.04-9.54 and one chlordane type, trans-chlordane, yielded OR 3.49 (95% CI = 1.08-11.2). In the group of case subjects with PSA levels greater than the median level of 16.5 ng/mL, PCB 153 was OR 30.3 (95% CI = 3.24-284), hexachlorobenzene OR = 9.84 (95% CI = 1.99-48.5), trans-chlordane OR = 11.0 (95% CI = 1.87-64.9), and the chlordane-type MC6 OR = 7.58 (95% CI = 1.65-34.9). The grouping of PCBs according to structural and biological activity was found to produce significantly increased risks for enzyme and phenobarbital-inducing PCBs and lower chlorinated PCBs in the case group with PSA levels greater than 16.5 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: These chemicals might be of etiologic significance but need to be further investigated. The biological relevance of the arbitrary cut-off point of PSA is unclear.
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| 6. |
- Hardell, Lennart, et al.
(author)
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High concentrations of organochlorines in a patient with kidney cancer and anorexia-cachexia syndrome
- 2006
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In: Medicinal chemistry (Shāriqah (United Arab Emirates)). - : Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.. - 1573-4064. ; 2:6, s. 607-610
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: To determine persistent organic pollutants in adipose tissue in a patient with kidney cancer. METHODS: Adipose tissue was sampled from the abdominal wall during autopsy of a 75-year old man who had died from a kidney cancer. The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), chlordanes and tetrabromodiphenyl ether (TeBDE) were determined on lipid basis. For comparison results from 29 male population based subjects aged 70-80 years were used. RESULTS: All concentrations except for TeBDE were very high in the patient; sum of PCBs 18 808 ng/g fat (median for controls 997), DDE 14 183 (median for controls 751), HCB 424 (median for controls 46), and sum of chlordanes 2 389 (median for controls 62). The patient lost weight from 80 kg to 48 kg when he died, which may have contributed wholly or partly to the very high concentrations of organochlorines. CONCLUSION: Changes in weight must be recorded in cancer patients and the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants should be normalized to weight. The concentrations in this patient were 10- to almost 40-times higher than in the controls. Such very high concentrations may give clinical symptoms in the final stage of a wasting cancer patient.
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| 7. |
- Hagberg, Jessika, et al.
(author)
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Chemical and toxicological characterisation of PBDFs from photolytic decomposition of decaBDE in toluene
- 2006
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In: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 32:7, s. 851-857
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A substantial formation of PBDF congeners was observed during photolytic decomposition of decaBDE in toluene. The decaBDE degradation was monitored by chemical and toxicological analysis and in all, twenty-seven mono- to hexasubstituted polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDFs) were detected in toluene solutions of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) after irradiation with UV-A, UV-AB and UV-ABC. The concentration levels of PBDFs formed after 16 h of UV exposure increased with wider spectra and were determined to be 3.5, 4.2 and 14 microg/ml after UV-A, UV-AB and UV-ABC irradiation, respectively. In accordance, bioassay derived TEQs (bio-TEQs), determined with the DR-CALUX assay, increased with a similar pattern. The PBDFs formed after the three UV exposures accounted for 0.31%, 0.35% and 1.2% of the initial amount of decaBDE (molar basis). The PBDF congener patterns were consistent in all three UV experiments which imply that no alterations were induced in the PBDF formation or degradation processes due to differences in UV irradiation. However, these processes tended to increase with wider spectra and increasing radiation energy most likely due to the strong absorbance of for example decaBDE at shorter wavelengths. After total decaBDE decomposition the PBDF formation increased significantly in the UV-ABC experiment. The tetra to hexasubstituted BDFs constituted the majority of detected compounds in all experiments. In all samples, the estimated chemical TEQ indicate that the bio-TEQs observed are largely explained by the presence of non-2,3,7,8-substituted PBDFs with relatively low toxicological potencies.
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| 8. |
- Kärrman, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Development of a solid-phase extraction-HPLC/Single quadrupole MS method for quantification of perfluorochemicals in whole blood
- 2005
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In: Analytical Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 77:3, s. 864-870
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A method for the determination of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) simultaneously with 10 closely related perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in human whole blood was developed and validated. PFOS and PFOA are used in various applications, for example, as surfactants and plastic additives, and are subject to environmental and health research due to their persistence. The main part of the data on PFCs in human blood is from serum samples, analyzed mainly by ion pair extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and negative electrospray (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The analytical method developed here is suitable for human whole blood and involves solid-phase extraction (SPE) and HPLC negative electrospray single quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC/ES-MS). A whole blood aliquot was treated with formic acid and extracted on a octadecyl (C18) SPE column. The PFCs were isolated with methanol, and quantification was performed using single quadrupole mass spectrometry and perfluoroheptanoic acid as internal standard. Validation was performed in the range 0.3-194 ng/mL with recovery between 64 and 112% and limit of detection in the 0.1-0.5 ng/mL range for 11 of the 12 PFCs studied. We applied this method to 20 whole blood samples collected in 1997-2000 from the Swedish population in the ages 24-72. Eleven of the 12 PFCs were detected, and they were quantitatively and qualitatively confirmed using triple quadrupole LC/MS/MS analysis. PFOS, perfluorooctanesulfonamide, perfluorohexanesulfonate, PFOA and perfluorononanoic acid were quantified in all samples. In addition, perfluorohexanoic acid, perfluorodecanoic acid, perfluorodecanesulfonate, perfluoroundecanoic acid, perfluorododecanoic acid, and perfluorotetradecanoic acid were detected in some samples. This study shows that SPE and single quadrupole MS can be applied for extraction and quantification of PFCs in human whole blood, resulting in selectivity and low detection limits.
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| 9. |
- Kärrman, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Exposure of perfluorinated chemicals through lactation : levels of matched human milk and serum and a temporal trend, 1996-2004, in Sweden
- 2007
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In: Environmental Health Perspectives. - : Environmental Health Perspectives. - 0091-6765 .- 1552-9924. ; 115:2, s. 226-230
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Only limited data exist on lactation as an exposure source of persistent perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) for children.Objectives We studied occurrence and levels of PFCs in human milk in relation to maternal serum together with the temporal trend in milk levels between 1996 and 2004 in Sweden. Matched, individual human milk and serum samples from 12 primiparous women in Sweden were analyzed together with composite milk samples (25–90 women/year) from 1996 to 2004.Results Eight PFCs were detected in the serum samples, and five of them were also above the detection limits in the milk samples. Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) were detected in all milk samples at mean concentrations of 0.201 ng/mL and 0.085 ng/mL, respectively. Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected less frequently.Discussion The total PFC concentration in maternal serum was 32 ng/mL, and the corresponding milk concentration was 0.34 ng/mL. The PFOS milk level was on average 1% of the corresponding serum level. There was a strong association between increasing serum concentration and increasing milk concentration for PFOS (r2 = 0.7) and PFHxS (r2 = 0.8). PFOS and PFHxS levels in composite milk samples were relatively unchanged between 1996 and 2004, with a total variation of 20 and 32% coefficient of variation, respectively.Conclusion The calculated total amount of PFCs transferred by lactation to a breast-fed infant in this study was approximately 200 ng/day. Lactation is a considerable source of exposure for infants, and reference concentrations for hazard assessments are needed.
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| 10. |
- Kärrman, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Levels of 12 perfluorinated chemicals in pooled Australian serum, collected 2002-2003, in relation to age, gender, and region
- 2006
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 40:12, s. 3742-3748
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pooled serum samples from 3802 Australian residents were analyzed for four perfluoroalkylsulfonates, seven perfluoroalkylcarboxylates, and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA). Serum was collected from men and women of five different age groups and from rural and urban regions in Australia. The highest mean concentration was obtained for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, 20.8 ng/mL) followed by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, 7.6 ng/mL), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS, 6.2 ng/mL), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA, 1.1 ng/mL), and PFOSA (0.71 ng/mL). Additional four PFCs were detected in 5-18% of the samples at concentrations near the detection limits (0.1-0.5 ng/mL). An increase in PFOS concentration with increasing age in both regions and genders was observed. The male pool levels of some of the age groups compared to females were higherfor PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS. In contrast, PFNA concentrations were higher in the female pools. No substantial difference was found in levels of PFCs between the urban and rural regions. The levels are equal or higher than previously reported serum levels in Europe and Asia but lower compared to the U.S.A. These results suggest that emissions from production in the Northern Hemisphere are of less importance for human exposure.
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