Sachi Taniyasu

Distribution of polyfluoroalkyl compounds in water, suspended particulate matter and sediment from Tokyo Bay, Japan

This study examined the environmental behaviour and fate of polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) found in water, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment. The sampling of the sediment was performed at two stations from Tokyo Bay, Japan, in 2008. In addition, a depth profile of seawater was collected at three water layers from both sampling stations. The summation operatorPFC concentrations ranged from 16.7 to 42.3ngL(-1) in the water column, from 6.4 to 15.1ngg(-1) dry weight (dw) in the SPM fraction and from 0.29 to 0.36dw in surface sediment. The distribution of PFCs was found to depend on their physicochemical characteristics. While short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) (C<7) were exclusively detected in the dissolved phase, longer-chain PFCAs (C7), perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs), ethylperfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (EtFOSAA), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) appeared to bind more strongly to particles. Results showed that the sorption of PFCs on SPM increases by 0.52-0.75 log units for each additional CF(2) moiety and that the sorption of PFSAs was 0.71-0.76 log units higher compared to the PFCA analogs. In addition, the sorption of PFCs was influenced by the organic carbon content. These data are essential for modelling the transport and environmental fate of PFCs.

Perfluorinated organic compounds in human blood serum and seminal plasma: a study of urban and rural tea worker populations in Sri Lanka

Concentrations and accumulation of 13 fluorinated organic compounds (FOCs) in human sera and seminal plasma were measured in an Asian developing country, Sri Lanka. Six of the FOCs, PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonate), PFHS (perfluorohexanesulfonate), PFUnA (perfluoroundecanoic acid), PFDA (perfluorodecanoic acid), PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), were detected in all of the sera samples. Measurable quantities of two main perfluorosulfonates, PFOS and PFHS, were found in all seminal plasma samples. The detection frequency of the predominant perfluoroalkylcarboxylate, PFOA, in seminal plasma was >70%. Accumulation of PFOS in sera was significantly positively correlated with PFOA, PFHS and PFNA. Positive linear regressions were also found between PFNA and PFUnA and PFNA and PFDA suggesting that these compounds may have a similar origin of exposure and accumulation. Significantly positive associations were observed for partitioning of both PFOS and PFNA between sera and seminal plasma. The accumulation of FOCs was not significantly different in sera from Colombo (urban population) and Talawakele (rural conventional tea workers). However, the Haldummulla population (rural organic tea workers) had relatively lower exposure to FOCs compared to the other two groups, urban and rural conventional tea workers. Concentrations of FOCs in Sri Lanka were similar to those reported for industrialized countries suggesting that human exposure to such chemicals is widespread even in developing countries. The novel finding of FOCs in human seminal plasma implies that further studies are needed to determine whether long-term exposure in humans can result in reproductive impairments.

Analysis of trifluoroacetic acid and other short-chain perfluorinated acids (C2-C4) in precipitation by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: comparison to patterns of long-chain perfluorinated acids (C5-C18).

A method has been developed to measure 29 perfluorinated acids (PFAs) including short-chain perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA; C2) and long-chain PFCAs, perfluoroalkylsulfonates, fluorotelomer acids, and two perfluorooctylsulfonamides in water matrices. The method involves solid phase extraction (SPE) using a weak anion-exchange (WAX) cartridge, an ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column separation, and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection. To our knowledge, this is the first HPLC-MS/MS method to determine TFA in water at sub-ng L(-1) concentrations. The method is selective, simple, and robust, capable of measuring 29 PFAs in a single analysis, with overall recoveries of the target analytes ranging from 75% to 132%. The method was applied to the analysis of rainwater samples collected from two cities in Japan. TFA and several short-chain PFAs were the major compounds found in rainwater.

Trophic Magnification of Poly- and Perfluorinated Compounds in a Subtropical Food Web

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are known to biomagnify in temperate and Arctic food webs, but little is known about their behavior in subtropical systems. The environmental distribution and biomagnification of PFCs, extractable organic fluorine (EOF), and total fluorine were investigated in a subtropical food web. Surface water, sediment, phytoplankton, zooplankton, gastropods, worms, shrimps, fishes, and waterbirds collected in the Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong were analyzed. Trophic magnification was observed for perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnDA), and perfluorododecanoate (PFDoDA) in this food web. Risk assessment results for PFOS, PFDA, and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) suggest that current PFC concentrations in waterbird livers are unlikely to pose adverse biological effects to waterbirds. All hazard ratio (HR) values reported for PFOS and PFOA are less than one, which suggests that the detected levels will not cause any immediate health effects to the Hong Kong population through the consumption of shrimps and fishes. However, only 10-12% of the EOF in the shrimp samples was comprised of known PFCs, indicating the need for further investigation to identify unknown fluorinated compounds in wildlife.

Perfluorinated compounds in streams of the Shihwa industrial zone and Lake Shihwa, South Korea

Concentrations of perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAs), including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate, perfluorobutanesulfonate, perfluorooctanesulfonamide, perfluorodecanoate, perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluoroheptanoate, and perfluorohexanoate, were measured in the streams of the Shihwa and Banweol industrial areas on the west coast of South Korea as well as the adjacent Lake Shihwa (an artificial lake) and Gyeonggi Bay. Perfluorinated alkyl compounds were concentrated from water using solid-phase extraction and were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography/ triple-quadrapole tandem mass spectrometry. Of the PFAs measured, PFOS and PFOA occurred at the greatest concentrations. Concentrations of PFOS ranged from 2.24 to 651 ng/L, and concentrations of PFOA ranged from 0.9 to 62 ng/L. The concentrations of PFOS observed in Lake Shihwa were among the greatest ever measured in the environment. These results suggest local industrial sources of PFOS and PFOA as well as other PFAs. Because of dilution, the greatest concentrations occur in a rather restricted area, near the points of discharge of the streams that empty into the lake. The greatest measured concentration of PFOS exceeded the threshold for effects predicted for predatory birds consuming aquatic organisms continuously exposed to this level.

A survey of perfluorinated compounds in surface water and biota including dolphins from the Ganges River and in other waterbodies in India.

Despite the reports of the occurrence of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in industrialized nations, information on PFCs in less industrialized countries is meager. In the present study, concentrations and profiles of PFCs were investigated in surface waters (rivers, lakes, coastal seas and untreated sewage; n=42) including the Ganges River water, and biota such as shrimp (n=2), fish (n=28), and Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica; n=15). PFOS was the dominant PFC found in most of the samples analyzed including water samples except untreated sewage (water: <0.04-3.91 ng L(-1); biota: 0.248-27.9 ng g(-1) ww). Long-chain (C11-C18) perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) were not detected in the water samples (<0.2 ng L(-1)), although PFDA (0.061-0.923 ng g(-1) ww) and PFUnDA (0.072-0.998 ng g(-1) ww) were found in biological samples The arithmetic mean PFOS concentration found in the liver of Ganges River dolphin was 27.9 ng g(-1) ww. Bioconcentration and biomagnifications factors of PFCs were estimated in the Ganges River basin food web. The highest concentration of PFOA, 23.1 ng L(-1), was found in untreated sewage samples. Overall, concentrations of PFCs of water and biological samples from India are lower than the concentrations reported for other countries so far. PFC profiles in Indian waters are dominated by PFOS, followed by PFOA, which is different from the pattern reported for other countries such as Korea, Japan and USA, where PFOA was the predominant compound in waters. The flux estimates for PFOS, PFOA and PFNA from the Ganges River in India to the Bay of Bengal were in the range of several hundreds of kilograms per year.

Bisphenol A and other bisphenol analogues including BPS and BPF in surface water samples from Japan, China, Korea and India.

Concentrations of eight bisphenol analogues (BPs) including BPA, BPS, and BPF were determined in surface waters collected from select rivers in Japan, Korea, China, and India. BPA was found at a concentration in the range of several tens to several hundreds of nanograms per liter in most of the rivers surveyed and some of the highest concentrations (54-1950 ng/L) were found in rivers in Chennai, India. Concentrations of BPF were one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of BPA in river and sea waters collected from Japan, Korea and China, which suggested that BPF is a major contaminant in surface waters in several Southeast Asian countries. BPF concentrations as high as 2850 ng/L were found in the Tamagawa River in Japan. The flux of BPs through riverine discharges into Tokyo Bay was calculated to be approximately 5.5 t per year. Based on the flux estimates and the mass of BPF found in water column and sediment in Tokyo Bay, it was found that BPF degrades faster than BPA in the environment. Elevated concentrations of BPF found in surface waters suggest the need for further studies to determine the fate and toxicity of this compound.

Partitioning of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) between water and sediment.

Laboratory partitioning experiments were conducted to elucidate the sorption behaviour and partitioning of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs). Three different sediment types were used and separately spiked with perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) at low environmentally realistic concentrations. PFOA, PFOS and PFOSA were mainly distributed in the dissolved phase at low suspended solid concentrations, indicating their long-range transport potential in the marine environment. In all cases, the equilibrium isotherms were linear and the organic carbon normalised partition coefficients (K(OC)) decreased in the following order: PFOSA (log K(OC) = 4.1 ± 0.35 cm³ g⁻¹)>PFOS (3.7 ± 0.56 cm³ g⁻¹) > PFOA (2.4 ± 0.12 cm³ g⁻¹). The level of organic content had a significant influence on the partitioning. For the sediment with negligible organic content the density of the sediment became the most important factor influencing the partitioning. Ultimately, data on the partitioning of PFCs between aqueous media and suspended solids are essential for modelling their transport and environmental fate.

Isomer-specific analysis of chlorinated biphenyls, naphthalenes and dibenzofurans in Delor: polychlorinated biphenyl preparations from the former Czechoslovakia.

Technical polychlorinated byphenyl (PCB) preparations--Delors 103, 104, 105, and 106--produced in the former Czechoslovakia were analyzed for their chlorobiphenyl (CB), chloronaphthalene (PCN) and chlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF) composition and content using high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. The congener patterns of Delors 103, 104, 105, and 106 resembled Aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260. Delors contained PCNs and PCDFs, as impurities, at microgram per gram concentrations. Concentrations of PCNs and PCDFs in Delors were greater than those found in the corresponding Aroclors. The potential for the emissions of PCNs and PCDFs from Delor was estimated to be 3680 and 860 kg, respectively. Non- and mono-ortho PCBs were the major contributors to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) equivalents in Delor mixtures.

Flux of perfluorinated chemicals through wet deposition in Japan, the United States, and several other countries.

The widespread distribution of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in different environmental matrices has prompted concern about the sources, fate, and transport of these classes of chemicals. PFCs are present in the atmosphere, but only a few studies have investigated their occurrence in precipitation. In this study, concentrations of 20 PFCs, including C3-C5 short-chain PFCs, were quantified using HPLC-MS/MS in precipitation samples from Japan (n = 31), the United States (n = 12), China (n = 5), India (n = 2), and France (n = 2). Among the PFCs measured, perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA) was detected in all of the precipitation samples. Average total PFC concentrations ranged from 1.40 to 18.1 ng/L for the seven cities studied. The greatest total PFC concentrations were detected in Tsukuba, Japan, whereas the lowest concentrations were detected in Patna, India. PFPrA, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were found to be the dominant PFCs in Japanese and U.S. precipitation samples. No observable seasonal trend was found in precipitation samples from two locations in Japan. Annual fluxes of PFCs were estimated for Japan and the U.S. and the evidence for precipitation as an effective scavenger of PFCs in the atmosphere is reported.