| 1. |
- Benskin, Jonathan, et al.
(author)
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Manufacturing Origin of Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in Atlantic and Canadian Arctic Seawater
- 2012
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 46:2, s. 677-685
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The extent to which different manufacturing sources and long-range transport pathways contribute to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in the world’s oceans, particularly in remote locations, is widely debated. Here, the relative contribution of historic (i.e., electrochemically fluorinated) and contemporary (i.e., telomer) manufacturing sources was assessed for PFOA in various seawater samples by an established isomer profiling technique. The ratios of individual branched PFOA isomers were indistinguishable from those in authentic historic standards in 93% of the samples examined, indicating that marine processes had little influence on isomer profiles, and that isomer profiling is a valid source apportionment tool for seawater. Eastern Atlantic PFOA was largely (83−98%) of historic origin, but this decreased to only 33% close to the Eastern U.S. seaboard. Similarly, PFOA in the Norwegian Sea was near exclusively historic, but the relative contribution decreased to ∼50% near the Baltic Sea. Such observations of contemporary PFOA in coastal source regions coincided with elevated concentrations, suggesting that the continued production and use of PFOA is currently adding to the marine burden of this contaminant. In the Arctic, a spatial trend was observed whereby PFOA in seawater originating from the Atlantic was predominantly historic (up to 99%), whereas water in the Archipelago (i.e., from the Pacific) was predominantly of contemporary origin (as little as 17% historic). These data help to explain reported temporal and spatial trends from Arctic wildlife biomonitoring, and suggest that the dominant PFOA source(s) to the Pacific and Canadian Arctic Archipelago are either (a) from direct emissions of contemporary PFOA via manufacturing or use in Asia, or (b) from atmospheric transport and oxidation of contemporary PFOA-precursors.
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| 2. |
- Benskin, Jonathan P., et al.
(author)
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Perfluoroalkyl Acids in the Atlantic and Canadian Arctic Oceans
- 2012
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society. - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 46:11, s. 5815-5823
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report here on the spatial distribution of C-4, C-6, and C-8 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, C-6-C-14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, and perfluorooctanesulfonamide in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, including previously unstudied coastal waters of North and South America, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) were typically the dominant perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in Atlantic water. In the midnorthwest Atlantic/Gulf Stream, sum PFAA concentrations (Sigma PFAAs) were low (77-190 pg/L) but increased rapidly upon crossing into U.S. coastal water (up to 5800 pg/L near Rhode Island). Sigma PFAAs in the northeast Atlantic were highest north of the Canary Islands (280-980 pg/L) and decreased with latitude. In the South Atlantic, concentrations increased near Rio de la Plata (Argentina/Uruguay; 350-540 pg/L Sigma PFAAs), possibly attributable to insecticides containing N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide, or proximity to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. In all other southern hemisphere locations, Sigma PFAAs were less than210 pg/L. PFOA/PFOS ratios were typically greater than= 1 in the northern hemisphere, similar to 1 near the equator, and less than= 1 in the southern hemisphere. In the Canadian Arctic, Sigma PFAAs ranged from 40 to 250 pg/L, with perfluoroheptanoate, PFOA, and PFOS among the PFAAs detected at the highest concentrations. PFOA/PFOS ratios (typically greater thangreater than1) decreased from Baffin Bay to the Amundsen Gulf; possibly attributable to increased atmospheric inputs. These data help validate global emissions models and contribute to understanding of long-range transport pathways and sources of PFAAs to remote regions.
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| 3. |
- Bergman, Åke, et al.
(author)
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Manufacturing doubt about endocrine disrupter science : A rebuttal of industry-sponsored critical comments on the UNEP/WHO report "State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012"
- 2015
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In: Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. - : Academic Press. - 0273-2300 .- 1096-0295. ; 73:3, s. 1007-1017
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a detailed response to the critique of "State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012" (UNEP/WHO, 2013) by financial stakeholders, authored by Lamb et al. (2014). Lamb et al.'s claim that UNEP/WHO (2013) does not provide a balanced perspective on endocrine disruption is based on incomplete and misleading quoting of the report through omission of qualifying statements and inaccurate description of study objectives, results and conclusions. Lamb et al. define extremely narrow standards for synthesizing evidence which are then used to dismiss the UNEP/WHO 2013 report as flawed. We show that Lamb et al. misuse conceptual frameworks for assessing causality, especially the Bradford-Hill criteria, by ignoring the fundamental problems that exist with inferring causality from empirical observations. We conclude that Lamb et al.'s attempt of deconstructing the UNEP/WHO (2013) report is not particularly erudite and that their critique is not intended to be convincing to the scientific community, but to confuse the scientific data. Consequently, it promotes misinterpretation of the UNEP/WHO (2013) report by non-specialists, bureaucrats, politicians and other decision makers not intimately familiar with the topic of endocrine disruption and therefore susceptible to false generalizations of bias and subjectivity.
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| 4. |
- Bergman, Åke, et al.
(author)
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Science and policy on endocrine disrupters must not be mixed : a reply to a "common sense" intervention by toxicology journal editors
- 2013
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In: Environmental Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1476-069X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The "common sense" intervention by toxicology journal editors regarding proposed European Union endocrine disrupter regulations ignores scientific evidence and well-established principles of chemical risk assessment. In this commentary, endocrine disrupter experts express their concerns about a recently published, and is in our considered opinion inaccurate and factually incorrect, editorial that has appeared in several journals in toxicology. Some of the shortcomings of the editorial are discussed in detail. We call for a better founded scientific debate which may help to overcome a polarisation of views detrimental to reaching a consensus about scientific foundations for endocrine disrupter regulation in the EU.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bidleman, Terry F., et al.
(author)
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Lake Superior Has Lost over 90% of Its Pesticide HCH Load since 1986
- 2021
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 55:14, s. 9518-9526
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The time trend of α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers in Lake Superior water was followed from 1986 to 2016, the longest record for any persistent organic pollutant (POP) in Great Lakes water. Dissipation of α-HCH and γ-HCHs was first order, with halving times (t1/2) of 5.7 and 8.5 y, respectively. Loss rates were not significantly different starting a decade later (1996−2016). Concentrations of β-HCH were followed from 1996−2016 and dissipated more slowly (t1/2 = 16 y). In 1986, the lake contained an estimated 98.8 tonnes of α-HCH and 13.2 tonnes of γ-HCH; by 2016, only 2.7% and 7.9% of 1986 quantities remained. Halving times of both isomers in water were longer than those reported in air, and for γ-HCH, they were longer in water than those reported in lake trout. Microbial degradation was evident by enantioselective depletion of (+)α-HCH, which increased from 1996 to 2011. Volatilization was the main removal process for both isomers, followed by degradation (hydrolytic and microbial) and outflow through the St. Mary’s River. Sedimentation was minor. Major uncertainties in quantifying removal processes were in the two-film model for predicting volatilization and in microbial degradation rates. The study highlights the value of long-term monitoring of chemicals in water to interpreting removal processes and trends in biota.
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| 7. |
- Chibwe, Leah, et al.
(author)
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C12-30 alpha-Bromo-Chloro Alkenes : Characterization of a Poorly Identified Flame Retardant and Potential Environmental Implications
- 2019
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In: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 53:18, s. 10835-10844
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bromo-chloro alkenes (Br-Cl PXAs) have been used for over 30 years as flame retardants and are listed on several national chemical inventories. Very little publicly available information is available on Br-Cl PXAs, and thus preliminary ecological risk screening is challenging due to the lack of basic information such as molecular structure and associated physicochemical properties. Due to their likely similarity with chlorinated paraffins (CPs), Br-Cl PXAs may pose a similar environmental hazard. Several structural databases list such substances as alkenes, although the industrial synthesis involves halogenation of linear alpha-olefins and would be expected to produce linear alkanes. In this study, a combination of high-resolution separation and mass spectrometric techniques were used to characterize a Br-Cl PXA industrial technical product, C12-30 bromo-chloro alpha-alkenes (CAS RN 68527-01-5). The results show this product is dominated by C-18 carbon chain lengths, substituted with 3-7 chlorine atoms and 1-3 bromine atoms on an alkane chain. Long-chain C-18 chlorinated paraffins are also present, although they represent a relatively minor component. Experimental log K-OW (6.9 to 8.6) and estimated log K-OA (10.5 to 13.5) and log K-AW (-5.1 to -0.6) partition coefficients suggest that this chemical will behave similarly to medium- and long-chain CPs as well as other persistent organic pollutants, such as highly chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls. The results of this study provide an initial step toward understanding the environmental behavior and persistence of Br-Cl PXAs, highlighting the need for further assessment and re-evaluation of the current structure(s) assigned to these compounds.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- de Wit, Cynthia A., 1956-, et al.
(author)
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Influence of climate change on persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in the Arctic : state of knowledge and recommendations for future research
- 2022
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In: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 24:10, s. 1530-1543
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have accumulated in polar environments as a result of long-range transport from urban/industrial and agricultural source regions in the mid-latitudes. Climate change has been recognized as a factor capable of influencing POP levels and trends in the Arctic, but little empirical data have been available previously. A growing number of recent studies have now addressed the consequences of climate change for the fate of Arctic contaminants, as reviewed and assessed by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). For example, correlations between POP temporal trends in air or biota and climate indices, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation Index, have been found. Besides the climate indices, temperature, precipitation and sea-ice were identified as important climate parameters influencing POP levels in the Arctic environment. However, the physical changes are interlinked with complex ecological changes, including new species habitats and predator/prey relationships, resulting in a vast diversity of processes directly or indirectly affecting levels and trends of POPs. The reviews in this themed issue illustrate that the complexity of physical, chemical, and biological processes, and the rapid developments with regard to both climate change and chemical contamination, require greater interdisciplinary scientific exchange and collaboration. While some climate and biological parameters have been linked to POP levels in the Arctic, mechanisms underlying these correlations are usually not understood and need more work. Going forward there is a need for a stronger collaborative approach to understanding these processes due to high uncertainties and the incremental process of increasing knowledge of these chemicals. There is also a need to support and encourage community-based studies and the co-production of knowledge, including the utilization of Indigenous Knowledge, for interpreting trends of POPs in light of climate change.
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