Investigation and dietary exposure risk assessments of 3 PFASs and 2 Cl-PFESA in fresh vegetables planted in the vicinity of typical fluorine chemical industry parks located in Guangdong province

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the contamination status and dietary exposure risk of 3 perfluorinated substances and 2 chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate acids in fresh vegetables planted in the vicinity of typical fluorine chemical industry parks located in Guangdong province.MethodsNinety six vegetables were collected from the vicinity of 3 typical fluorine chemical industry parks and local markets in 2019. The concentrations of 3 perfluorinated substances ［perfluorooctane sulfonate acid （PFOS）， perfluorooctanoic acid （PFOA）， perfluorohexanesulfonic acid （PFHxS）］ and 2 chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate acids （6：2 Cl-PFESA and 8：2 Cl-PFESA） in fresh vegetables were detected using isotope dilution method by UPLC-QqQ-MS， and the point estimate was employed to estimate the levels of dietary exposure from fresh vegetables.ResultsPFOS and PFOA were detected in all samples， while chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonates were detected in 2 leafy vegetable samples. The sum of average concentration of PFASs and Cl-PFESAs in vegetable samples was 0.792 ng/g fw （fresh weight， fw）， and it was two-fold higher compared the samples around the fluorine chemical industrial with the samples from local markets. The average concentration of 5 chemicals （1.11 ng/g fw） was the highest in leafy vegetables. The results of dietary exposure assessment indicated that the exposure levels of 3 perfluorinated compounds by consumption of fresh vegetables which planted surrounding fluorine chemical industry parks were 0.185-2.35 ng/kg·BW. The hazard indexes （HI） of PFOS and PFOA were greater than 1. The exposure level of chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate acids were lower.ConclusionThe exposures of PFOS and PFOA of local general population exceeded the established thresholds for the adult residents. The risks of 2 chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate acids exposure from vegetables were low， which still need to be concerned.

Keywords

• perfluorinated substances
• chlorine substituted perfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate acid
• fluorine chemical industry park
• vegetable
• exposure assessment