Abstract

Background:

Firefighting foam–contaminated ground water, which contains high levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is frequently found around airports. In 2018 it was detected that employees at a municipal airport in northern Sweden had been exposed to high levels of short-chain PFAS along with legacy PFAS (i.e., PFOA, PFHxS, and PFOS) through drinking water.

Objectives:

In this study, we aimed to describe the PFAS profile in drinking water and biological samples (paired serum and urine) and to estimate serum half-lives of the short-chain PFAS together with legacy PFAS.

Methods:

Within 2 weeks after provision of clean water, blood sampling was performed in all 26 airport employees. Seventeen of them were then followed up monthly for 5 months. PFHxA, PFHpA, PFBS, PFPeS, and PFHpS together with legacy PFAS in water and biological samples were quantified using LC/MS/MS. Half-lives were estimated by assuming one compartment, first-order elimination kinetics.

Results:

The proportions of PFHxA, PFHpA, and PFBS were higher in drinking water than in serum. The opposite was found for PFHxS and PFOS. The legacy PFAS accounted for about 50% of total PFAS in drinking water and 90% in serum. Urinary PFAS levels were very low compared with serum. PFBS showed the shortest half-life {average 44 d [95% confidence interval (CI): 37, 55 d]}, followed by PFHpA [62 d (95% CI: 51, 80 d)]. PFPeS and PFHpS showed average half-lives as 0.63 and 1.46 y, respectively. Branched PFOS isomers had average half-lives ranging from 1.05 to 1.26 y for different isomers. PFOA, PFHxS, and linear PFOS isomers showed average half-lives of 1.77, 2.87, and 2.93 y, respectively.

Discussion:

A general pattern of increasing half-lives with increasing chain length was observed. Branched PFOS isomers had shorter half-lives than linear PFOS isomers. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6785

中文翻译：

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在停止受到消防泡沫污染的饮用水中暴露后，短链和长链全氟烷基酸的血清半衰期。

摘要

背景：

机场附近经常发现受泡沫泡沫污染的消防水，其中含有高水平的全氟烷基物质（PFAS）。在2018年，检测到瑞典北部市政机场的员工已经通过饮用水接触了高水平的短链PFAS以及遗留的PFAS（即PFOA，PFHxS和PFOS）。

目标：

在这项研究中，我们旨在描述饮用水和生物样品（配对的血清和尿液）中的PFAS谱，并评估短链PFAS和传统PFAS的血清半衰期。

方法：

提供清洁水后的2周内，对所有26名机场员工进行了血液采样。然后每月对其中的17例进行5个月的随访。使用LC / MS / MS对水和生物样品中的PFHxA，PFHpA，PFBS，PFPeS和PFHpS以及传统PFAS进行定量。半衰期是通过假设一个隔间，一级消除动力学来估算的。

结果：

饮用水中PFHxA，PFHpA和PFBS的比例高于血清。发现PFHxS和PFOS相反。传统的PFAS约占饮用水中PFAS总量的50％，血清中占90％。与血清相比，尿中PFAS水平非常低。PFBS的半衰期最短（平均44 d [95％置信区间（CI）：37，55 d]}，其次是PFHpA [62 d（95％CI：51，80 d）]。PFPeS和PFHpS的平均半衰期分别为0.63和1.46 y。支链PFOS异构体的不同异构体的平均半衰期为1.05至1.26 y。PFOA，PFHxS和线性PFOS异构体的平均半衰期分别为1.77、2.87和2.93 y。

讨论：

观察到随着链长度增加，半衰期增加的一般模式。支链PFOS异构体的半衰期比线性PFOS异构体短。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6785