PW10 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday
(PW177) Perfluorinated Compounds in Fish, Birds and Humans from Colombia.
Johnson, B1, Olivero, J2, Kannan, K1, 1 Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA2 University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
ABSTRACT- Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) were measured in bile, liver, and muscle tissues of several edible fishes including Mugil spp., and in liver, kidney, muscle, brain, spleen, and lungs of pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) collected from Cartagena Bay in Colombia. PFOS concentration as great as 5600 ng/mL (ppb) was found in the bile of Mugil sp. This is one of the highest concentrations reported for a fish species so far. PFOSA was not found in bile at a detection limit of 3 ng/mL, but PFOA was found in the bile at several hundreds of ng/mL. Concentrations of PFHS in fish bile were 10 to 50-fold lower than those of PFOS. Muscle tissues of fish also contained several tens to hundreds of ng/g concentrations of PFOS. Fishes collected from off-shore waters of Cartagena Bay contained 10-fold lower concentrations than those collected from coastal waters. Elevated concentrations (ppb to ppm) of PFOS were also found in the tissues of pelicans. Concentrations of PFOS in sera of Colombians were in the range of 4.6 to 14 ng/mL. These values are less than those reported for the US general population, but greater than those reported for developing countries in Asia. Notable concentrations of PFOA (mean: 6 ng/mL) was found in the sera of Colombian citizens. These results suggest considerable contamination by perfluorinated compounds in Colombian environment and humans.
Key words: Pelican, PFOS, Bioaccumulation, Colombia