| 1. |
- Cioni, Lara, et al.
(författare)
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Fluorine Mass Balance, including Total Fluorine, Extractable Organic Fluorine, Oxidizable Precursors, and Target Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, in Pooled Human Serum from the Tromsø Population in 1986, 2007, and 2015
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 57:40, s. 14849-14860
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Of the thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known to exist, only a small fraction (≤1%) are commonly monitored in humans. This discrepancy has led to concerns that human exposure may be underestimated. Here, we address this problem by applying a comprehensive fluorine mass balance (FMB) approach, including total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF), total oxidizable precursors (TOP), and selected target PFAS, to human serum samples collected over a period of 28 years (1986, 2007, and 2015) in Tromsø, Norway. While concentrations of TF did not change between sampling years, EOF was significantly higher in 1986 compared to 2007 and 2015. The ∑12PFAS concentrations were highest in 2007 compared to 1986 and 2015, and unidentified EOF (UEOF) decreased from 1986 (46%) to 2007 (10%) and then increased in 2015 (37%). While TF and EOF were not influenced by sex, women had higher UEOF compared to men, opposite to target PFAS. This is the first FMB in human serum to include TOP, and it suggests that precursors with >4 perfluorinated carbon atoms make a minor contribution to EOF (0–4%). Additional tools are therefore needed to identify substances contributing to the UEOF in human serum.
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| 2. |
- Herzke, Dorte, et al.
(författare)
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Targeted PFAS analyses and extractable organofluorine : Enhancing our understanding of the presence of unknown PFAS in Norwegian wildlife
- 2022
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 171
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the current possible presence of thousands of PFAS compounds in industrial emissions, there is an increasing need to assess the impacts of PFAS regulation of conventional PFAS on one hand and the exposure to emerging and yet unknown PFAS on the other. Today's analytical methodologies using targeted approaches are not sufficient to determine the complete suite of PFAS present. To evaluate the presence of unknown PFAS, we investigated in this study the occurrence of an extended range of target PFAS in various species from the marine and terrestrial Norwegian environment, in relation to the extractable organofluorine (EOF), which yields the total amount of organofluorine. The results showed a varying presence of extractable fluorinated organics, with glaucous gull eggs, otter liver and polar bear plasma showing the highest EOF and a high abundance of PFAS as well. The targeted PFAS measurements explained 1% of the organofluorine for moose liver as the lowest and 94% for otter liver as the highest. PFCAs like trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, reported semi-quantitatively), played a major role in explaining the organic fluorine present. Emerging PFAS as the perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS), was found in polar bear plasma in quantifiable amounts for the first time, confirming earlier detection in arctic species far removed from emission sources. To enable a complete organic fluorine mass balance in wildlife, new approaches are needed, to uncover the presence of new emerging PFAS as cyclic- or ether PFAS together with chlorinated PFAS as well as fluorinated organic pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
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| 3. |
- Koelmel, Jeremy P., et al.
(författare)
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An actionable annotation scoring framework for gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry
- 2022
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Ingår i: Exposome. - : Oxford University Press. - 2635-2265 .- 2635-2265. ; 2:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Omics-based technologies have enabled comprehensive characterization of our exposure to environmental chemicals (chemical exposome) as well as assessment of the corresponding biological responses at the molecular level (eg, metabolome, lipidome, proteome, and genome). By systematically measuring personal exposures and linking these stimuli to biological perturbations, researchers can determine specific chemical exposures of concern, identify mechanisms and biomarkers of toxicity, and design interventions to reduce exposures. However, further advancement of metabolomics and exposomics approaches is limited by a lack of standardization and approaches for assigning confidence to chemical annotations. While a wealth of chemical data is generated by gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS), incorporating GC-HRMS data into an annotation framework and communicating confidence in these assignments is challenging. It is essential to be able to compare chemical data for exposomics studies across platforms to build upon prior knowledge and advance the technology. Here, we discuss the major pieces of evidence provided by common GC-HRMS workflows, including retention time and retention index, electron ionization, positive chemical ionization, electron capture negative ionization, and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization spectral matching, molecular ion, accurate mass, isotopic patterns, database occurrence, and occurrence in blanks. We then provide a qualitative framework for incorporating these various lines of evidence for communicating confidence in GC-HRMS data by adapting the Schymanski scoring schema developed for reporting confidence levels by liquid chromatography HRMS (LC-HRMS). Validation of our framework is presented using standards spiked in plasma, and confident annotations in outdoor and indoor air samples, showing a false-positive rate of 12% for suspect screening for chemical identifications assigned as Level 2 (when structurally similar isomers are not considered false positives). This framework is easily adaptable to various workflows and provides a concise means to communicate confidence in annotations. Further validation, refinements, and adoption of this framework will ideally lead to harmonization across the field, helping to improve the quality and interpretability of compound annotations obtained in GC-HRMS.
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| 4. |
- Rydén, Andreas, 1981-
(författare)
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Synthesis of organobromines as a tool for their characterisation and environmental occurrence assessment
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been intensively used as flame retardants (FRs) and have become ubiquitous environmental pollutants. PBDEs form hydroxylated PBDEs (OH-PBDEs) as metabolites. Further, some OH-PBDEs and methoxy-PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) are natural products. These are all compounds of environmental and health concern and it is therefore important to confirm their identity and to assess their environmental levels and toxicities. Hence, it is vital to obtain authentic reference standards of individual PBDEs and OH/MeO-PBDEs. The thesis main aim was to develop synthesis methods of congener specific PBDEs, OH- and MeO-PBDEs. The second aim was to identify and quantify PBDEs, OH- and MeO-PBDEs in environmental samples. The third was to propose an abbreviation system for FRs.O-Arylation of brominated phenols, using either symmetrical or unsymmetrical brominated diphenyliodonium salts, was selected for synthesis of PBDEs and OH-/MeO-PBDEs. A total of 16 MeO-PBDEs, 11 OH-PBDEs, 1 diMeO-PBDE and 1 EtO-MeO-PBDE were synthesised. Three novel unsymmetrical diaryliodonium triflates were synthesised and used in synthesis. Optimisations were made to construct a reliable general method for congener specific PBDE synthesis, which was used in the synthesis of 8 representative PBDE congeners. The products were generally characterised by electron ionisation mass spectrometry (EIMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.Identification of PBDEs and OH-PBDEs in various matrixes was based on gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses. Fourteen OH-PBDE congeners were identified in a pooled human blood sample. One previously uncharacterised natural PBDE analogue was identified as 6-OH-6’-MeO-BDE-194, and quantified in Swedish blue mussels. PBDE congeners and other BFRs were identified and quantified in workers and dust from a smelter in Sweden.A structured and practical abbreviation system was developed for halogen- and phosphorus containing FRs.
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| 5. |
- Teclechiel, Daniel, 1974-
(författare)
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Synthesis and characterization of highly polybrominated diphenyl ethers
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) make up an important class of brominated flame retardants. The present production is mainly concentrated to DecaBDE but until recently also a significant production of PentaBDE and OctaBDE took place, leaving us with a large number of different PBDE congeners. The PBDEs have become widespread pollutants abiotically and in biota, particularly in high trophic level wildlife and in humans. Accordingly, pure authentic reference standards have been required to promote high quality exposure assessments of wildlife and humans and analysis of abiotic matrices, to study both chemical and physical properties of the PBDEs and to allow toxicological studies. The objective of this thesis was to develop methods for synthesis of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners and to characterize them. Further, some octabrominated DEs were determined with x-ray crystallography. Main focus has been to prepare highly brominated PBDE congeners, i.e. PBDEs substituted with six to nine bromine atoms.A total number of twenty-three PBDE congeners were synthesized via reduction of decabromodiphenyl ether receiving nonaBDEs; perbromination and bromination of mono- and diaminodiphenyl ethers followed by diazotization of the amino group(s) and reduction of the diazonium ion(s) receiving octaBDEs and nonaBDEs; selective bromination of diaminodiphenyl ethers followed by diazotization of the amino groups and insertion of bromine receiving hexaBDEs and heptaBDEs; bromination of the latter PBDEs giving octaBDEs; and an improved coupling of symmetrical diphenyliodonium salts with bromophenols yielding tetraBDEs to octaBDEs. To enable these compounds to be synthesized three hexabromodiphenyl iodonium salts were prepared: 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’-, 2,2’,4,4’,5,5’- and 2,2’,4,4’,6,6’ - hexabromodiphenyliodonium salts. These iodonium salts are described for the first time which made it possible to synthesize PBDE congeners with 2,3,4-, 2,4,5- and 2,4,6-tribromo substitution in the phenyl rings originating from the diphenyliodonium salts. Among the PBDE congeners 18 are synthesized for the first time. The thesis includes an improved methodology for synthesis of polybromodiphenyl iodonium salts which is based on improved solubilization of both one of the reactants and the product formed. The present work on PBDE synthesis adds useful methods for synthesis of the most highly brominated diphenyl ether congeners.
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| 6. |
- Warner, Nicholas A., et al.
(författare)
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Reducing sampling artifacts in active air sampling methodology for remote monitoring and atmospheric fate assessment of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes
- 2020
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 255
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Active sampling methodology for atmospheric monitoring of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) was improved to reduce sampling artifacts. A new sorbent, ABN Express (ABN), was evaluated for storage stability and measurement accuracy. Storage stability of cVMS on ABN showed less than 1% degradation of the individual C-13-labelled octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (C-13(4)-D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (C-13(5)-D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (C-13(6)-D6) after 14 days storage at room temperature and at -20 degrees C whereas significant degradation was observed on ENV+ sorbent at room temperature (37-62 %) and -20 degrees C (9-16 %). C-13(4)-D4 formed on ENV+ spiked with C-13(5)-D5, and both C-13(4)-D4 and C-13(5)-D5 formed on ENV+ spiked with C-13(6)-D6. However, this was not observed on the ABN sorbent. Performance of ABN was compared to ENV+ through an 8-month Arctic sampling campaign at the Zeppelin Observatory (Ny Alesund, Svalbard). Good agreement between ABN and ENV+ was observed for D4 in the spring/summer months. However, D5 and D6 was found to be consistently higher on the ABN sorbent during this time period with D6 showing the greatest deviation. During the winter months, larger deviations were observed between ABN and ENV+ sorbents with a factor of 4 times higher atmospheric concentrations of both D5 and D6 found on ABN; indicating sorbent related degradation on ENV+. Our findings show that the ABN sorbent provides greater stability and accuracy for atmospheric monitoring of cVMS. Implications of these improvements towards atmospheric fate processes will be discussed.
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