Per-and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals used in a wide variety of commercial products and industrial applications. These chemicals are persistent, can accumulate in humans' and animals' tissues and in the environment, representing an increasing concern due to their moderate to highly toxicity. Their global distribution, persistence and toxicity led to an urgent need to investigate bioaccumulation also in marine species. In 2013 PFAS contamination was detected in a vast area in Veneto region, mainly in Adige and Brenta rivers. In order to investigate any relevant presence of these substances in marine vertebrates constantly living in the area, PFAS were measured in hepatic tissue samples of 20 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) stranded along the northern Adriatic Sea coastline between 2008 and 2020. Using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 17 target PFAS (PFBA, PFPeA, PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA, PFDoA, PFTrDA, PFTeDA, PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS, PFDS, PFHpS, PFPeS), were quantified in the samples. PFAS profiles were generally composed of the same five dominant PFAS (PFOS > PFUnA > PFDA ≈ PFDoA ≈ PFTrDA). The greatest PFOS concentration found was 629,73 ng/g wet weight, and PFOS accounted until 71% in the PFAS profiles. No significant differences between sexes were found, while calves showing higher mean values than adults, possibly indicating an increasing ability in the elimination of PFAS with age. Finally, a temporal analysis was carried out considering three different periods of time, but no temporal differences in concentrations were found. The results suggest that long-chain PFAS are widespread in bottlenose dolphins along the North Adriatic Sea. Furthermore, they represent a baseline to investigate the impact of PFAS on marine mammals’ conservation and health. Filling an important gap in the knowledge of PFAS accumulation in bottlenose dolphins, this study highlights the relevant role of Environmental and Tissue Banks for retrospective analyses on emergent contaminants.

全氟和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS) 是一组用于各种商业产品和工业应用的化学品。这些化学物质具有持久性，可以在人类和动物的组织和环境中积累，由于它们具有中度到高度的毒性，因此受到越来越多的关注。它们的全球分布、持久性和毒性导致迫切需要研究海洋物种中的生物积累。2013 年，在威尼托地区的广大地区，主要是在阿迪杰河和布伦塔河中发现了全氟和多氟烷基物质污染。为了调查这些物质在持续生活在该地区的海洋脊椎动物中是否存在任何相关的存在，我们在 20 只宽吻海豚 ( Tursiops truncatus) 的肝脏组织样本中测量了全氟和多氟烷基物质) 在 2008 年至 2020 年间沿着亚得里亚海北部海岸线搁浅。使用高效液相色谱-质谱法，17 种目标 PFAS（PFBA、PFPeA、PFHxA、PFHpA、PFOA、PFNA、PFDA、PFUnA、PFDoA、PFTrDA、BPFTeDA、对样品中的 PFHxS、PFOS、PFDS、PFHpS、PFPeS）进行量化。PFAS 概况通常由相同的五种主要 PFAS 组成（PFOS > PFUnA > PFDA ≈ PFDoA ≈ PFTrDA）。发现的最大全氟辛烷磺酸浓度为 629.73 纳克/克湿重，全氟辛烷磺酸在全氟和多氟烷基物质分布中占到 71%。没有发现性别之间的显着差异，而小牛的平均值高于成年人，这可能表明随着年龄的增长，消除 PFAS 的能力越来越强。最后，考虑三个不同的时间段进行时间分析，但没有发现浓度的时间差异。结果表明，长链全氟和多氟烷基物质广泛存在于北亚得里亚海沿岸的宽吻海豚中。此外，它们代表了研究 PFAS 对海洋哺乳动物保护和健康影响的基线。这项研究填补了宽吻海豚 PFAS 积累知识的一个重要空白，突出了环境和组织库在紧急污染物回顾性分析中的相关作用。