Exposure of children and adolescents from Northeastern Slovenia to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

RUNKEL, Agneta A., Anja STAJNKO, Janja Snoj TRATNIK, Darja MAZEJ, Milena HORVAT, Petra PŘIBYLOVÁ and Tina KOSJEK. Exposure of children and adolescents from Northeastern Slovenia to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Chemosphere. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2023, vol. 321, April 2023, p. 1-11. ISSN 0045-6535. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138096.

Basic information

• Original name: Exposure of children and adolescents from Northeastern Slovenia to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
• Authors: RUNKEL, Agneta A., Anja STAJNKO, Janja Snoj TRATNIK, Darja MAZEJ, Milena HORVAT, Petra PŘIBYLOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Tina KOSJEK.
• Edition: Chemosphere, OXFORD, PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2023, 0045-6535.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 10511 Environmental sciences
• Country of publisher: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 8.800 in 2022
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14310/23:00131154
• Organization unit: Faculty of Science
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138096
• UT WoS: 000965283800001
• Keywords in English: PFAS; Human biomonitoring; Exposure assessment; Children; Serum; Slovenia
• Tags: rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of high concern for the environment, wildlife, and human health due to their persistence and potential to cause adverse health effects. Despite political measures to restrict the production and distribution of PFAS and to limit the exposure of populations, PFAS can be measured at commonly high detection frequencies in human samples.Thus, this pilot study aimed to determine the serum concentrations of PFPA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFHxS, PFHpS, PFOS, PFHxA, PFDoDA, and PFBS in 113 girls and 112 boys (age 7-10 and 12-15) from Northeastern Slovenia -a rural area characterized by agricultural activities -and to identify potential sources of exposure using questionnaire data. PFAS were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry after phospholipid removal.9 out of 12 analytes were detected at detection frequencies above 30%, with the highest geometric means (GM) being observed for PFOS (GM 1.9 ng/mL) > PFOA (GM 1.0 ng/mL) > PFHxS (GM 0.3 ng/mL) symbolscript PFNA (GM 0.3 ng/mL). We identified the participants' socio-economic status, age, sex, sampling region, public water supply, and the consumption of fish and seafood, cereals, and locally produced fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms as the predominant determinants of exposure. Furthermore, we compared our results with the serum and plasma concentrations reported for similar age groups in other studies and concluded that PFAS exposure in this highly agricultural area in Slovenia is notably low. This is the first study systematic HBM study of PFAS exposure in Slovenia, although it was conducted on a limited number of participants representative of rural and agricultural areas, it represents a good basis for upgrading the approach to a nationwide HBM study.

Links

• LM2018121, research and development project: Name: Výzkumná infrastruktura RECETOX (Acronym: RECETOX RI)

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, RECETOX RI