Background

Residents of Anniston Alabama were highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to longstanding manufacturing in the area. The Anniston Community Health Surveys (ACHS I-2005–2007 and II, 2014) have linked these exposures with a variety of deletereous health outcomes. In addition to PCBs, these individuals were likely simultaneously exposed to other persistent organic pollutants including per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are an emerging class of ubiquitous industrial chemicals that are measurable in the blood of most individuals and have themselves been linked increased risk of some non communicable diseases.

Methods

To characterize PFAS exposures in ACHS I and ACHS II, we measured eight environmentally significant PFAS in serum by UPLC coupled electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorononanoate (PFNA), Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), and 4:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (4.2 FTS) were extracted from matched serum samples of individuals who participated in the original ACHS I (2005–2007; n = 297) and the follow up ACHS II (2014; n = 336). Data were collected in negative multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with monitoring of quantitation and qualifier ions for all target PFAS analytes, surrogates and internal standards. VARCLUS procedure was used to create hierarchical clusters between PFAS and other legacy persistent organic pollutants which may share similar exposure routes.

Results

Overall, circulating PFAS levels decreased approximately 50% from ACHS I (2005–2007) to ACHS II (2014), but these changes varied by compound. Mean levels of PFOS were >3 times higher in ACHS I subjects than in conpemporaneous NHANES subjects (2005–2006; ACHS I mean: 71.1 ng/ml; NHANES mean: 20.2 ng/mL), and this relationship persisted in ACHS II subjects (2014: ACHS II mean: 34.7 ng/ml; NHANES mean: 5.92 ng/mL). PFNA was also higher in both ACHS I and ACHS II subjects in comparision to NHANES whereas levels of PFOA and PFHxS were lower than in NHANES. Finally, cluster analysis revealed that in ACHS II, most PFAS tracked with polybrominated diphenyl ethers, except PFNA and PFHpA which clustered with industrial PCBs. In ACHS I, PFAS analytes correlated more closely with industrial PCBs and chlorinated pesticides.

Conclusions

Participants in the Anniston Community Health Surveys have higher levels of PFOS and PFNA than the general population with average PFOS levels >3 times contemporaneous NHANES levels. Since PFAS were not known to be manufactured in the area, more work needs to be completed to determine if population demographics, proximity to a military base, or regional manufacturing can explain the elevated levels.

中文翻译：

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安尼斯顿社区健康调查（ACHS I 和 ACHS II）中遗留和新出现的全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质的血清浓度

 背景

由于该地区长期从事生产活动，阿拉巴马州安尼斯顿的居民高度接触多氯联苯 (PCB)。安尼斯顿社区健康调查（ACHS I-2005-2007 和 II，2014）已将这些暴露与各种有害的健康结果联系起来。除了多氯联苯之外，这些人还可能同时接触其他持久性有机污染物，包括全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS)，它们是一类新兴的普遍存在的工业化学品，大多数人的血液中都可以检测到它们，并且它们本身与风险增加有关一些非传染性疾病。

 方法

为了表征 ACHS I 和 ACHS II 中的 PFAS 暴露情况，我们通过 UPLC 耦合电喷雾电离串联质谱法测量了血清中八种对环境有重要影响的 PFAS。全氟辛烷磺酸 (PFOS)、全氟辛酸 (PFOA)、全氟壬酸酯 (PFNA)、全氟己烷磺酸 (PFHxS)、全氟庚酸 (PFHpA)、全氟丁磺酸 (PFBS)、六氟环氧丙烷二聚酸 (HFPO-DA) 和 4:2 氟调聚物从参加原始 ACHS I（2005-2007；n = 297）和后续 ACHS II（2014；n = 336）的个体的匹配血清样本中提取磺酸（4.2 FTS）。以阴性多反应监测 (MRM) 模式收集数据，监测所有目标 PFAS 分析物、替代物和内标的定量和定性离子。 VARCLUS 程序用于在 PFAS 和其他可能具有相似暴露途径的遗留持久性有机污染物之间创建层次聚类。

 结果

总体而言，从 ACHS I（2005-2007 年）到 ACHS II（2014 年），循环 PFAS 水平下降了约 50%，但这些变化因化合物而异。 ACHS I 受试者的 PFOS 平均水平比同期 NHANES 受试者高 3 倍以上（2005-2006 年；ACHS I 平均值：71.1 ng/ml；NHANES 平均值：20.2 ng/mL），并且这种关系在 ACHS II 受试者中持续存在（ 2014 年：ACHS II 平均值：34.7 ng/ml；NHANES 平均值：5.92 ng/mL）。与 NHANES 相比，ACHS I 和 ACHS II 受试者的 PFNA 也较高，而 PFOA 和 PFHxS 水平低于 NHANES。最后，聚类分析显示，在 ACHS II 中，除了 PFNA 和 PFHpA 与工业 PCB 聚类外，大多数 PFAS 与多溴二苯醚一起追踪。在 ACHS I 中，PFAS 分析物与工业 PCB 和氯化农药的相关性更密切。

 结论

安尼斯顿社区健康调查的参与者的 PFOS 和 PFNA 水平高于普通人群，平均 PFOS 水平 > 同期 NHANES 水平的 3 倍。由于不知道该地区有 PFAS 生产，因此需要完成更多工作来确定人口统计、靠近军事基地或区域制造是否可以解释含量升高的原因。