Newer PFAS contaminant detected for first time in Arctic seawater

Date:
July 29, 2020
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), found in many
household products and food packages, have raised concerns
because of their persistence and possible toxicity to people
and wildlife. Because the compounds don't break down naturally,
they have become environmental contaminants. Now, researchers have
studied the transport of 29 PFAS into and out of the Arctic Ocean,
detecting a newer compound for the first time in Arctic seawater.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), found in many household
products and food packages, have raised concerns because of their
persistence and possible toxicity to people and wildlife. Because the
compounds don't break down naturally, they have become environmental contaminants. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science
& Technology have studied the transport of 29 PFAS into and out of the
Arctic Ocean, detecting a newer compound for the first time in Arctic
seawater.


========================================================================== After studies indicated that two PFAS -- PFOA and PFOS -- can cause
cancer, a compromised immune response and other health problems
in lab animals, the two compounds were voluntarily phased out by
industry. However, these legacy compounds are still widely detected in
the environment. Intended as a safer replacement for PFOA, HFPO-DA (sold
under the trade name GenX) is now thought to pose similar health and persistence concerns. Hanna Joerss and colleagues wanted to investigate
the long-range, oceanic transport of legacy and replacement PFAS to the
Arctic Ocean -- a remote body of water connected to the Atlantic Ocean
by the Fram Strait, which is located between Svalbard and Greenland.

Aboard an icebreaker research ship, the team collected water samples along
two Fram Strait currents entering and exiting the Arctic Ocean and along a
path from Europe's North Sea to the Arctic Ocean. Using mass spectrometry,
the researchers detected 11 PFAS in the ocean water, including PFOA,
HFPO-DA and other long- and short-chain PFAS. This was the first time that HFPO-DA had been detected in seawater from a remote region, indicating
that the compound can be transported long distances. Higher levels of PFAS
were detected in the water exiting the Arctic Ocean compared with the
water entering the Arctic from the North Atlantic. The PFAS composition
in the outgoing water suggested that more of these compounds arose from atmospheric sources than from ocean circulation.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hanna Joerss, Zhiyong Xie, Charlotte C. Wagner, Wilken-Jon von
Appen,
Elsie M. Sunderland, Ralf Ebinghaus. Transport of Legacy
Perfluoroalkyl Substances and the Replacement Compound HFPO-DA
through the Atlantic Gateway to the Arctic Ocean--Is the Arctic
a Sink or a Source? Environmental Science & Technology, 2020;
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c00228 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200729114838.htm

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