|
1H a - Perfluorinated Substances (WE6/8) Effect and exposure assessment of fluorinated organic compounds for marine ecosystems in Europe. Van de Vijver, Kristin1, Hoff, Philippe 1, Moens, Lotte1, Das, Krishna2, Van Dongen, Walter1, Esmans, Eddy1, Bouquegneau, JM2, Blust, Ronny1, De Coen, Wim 1, 1 University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, Belgium2 University of Liège, Liège, Belgium, Belgium ABSTRACT- Despite the fact that fluorinated organic chemicals (FOCs), with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as a major representative, are highly persistent, clearly accumulate in the liver and blood of top predators and seem to occur worldwide in wildlife, little is known in detail on the environmental fate of these substances. The aim of the present study is to describe the FOC distribution patterns and the exposure levels in marine mammals stranded on European coasts. In the first part, PFOS concentrations were measured in liver and kidney tissue of marine mammals using combined liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). PFOS levels ranged from <10ng/g to 820.60 ng/g. To evaluate the potential of PFOS to be biomagnified along the marine food chain, stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios were quantified in the same samples. Results of this analysis suggest that animals displaying the highest trophic positions (highest Key words: stable isotopes, fluorinated organic compounds, marine ecosystems, gene expression |
15N) contain the highest PFOS levels. The different feeding ecology of these species (inshore versus offshore) also seems to contribute to differences in PFOS concentrations. In a second part of the study, experiments were conducted to unravel the toxicological mechanisms of fluorinated compounds. Differential gene expression in PFOS exposed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), was quantified using subtraction suppression hybridisation PCR (SSH-PCR). We were able to isolate several genes that were up or down regulated after a short-term exposure to different concentrations of PFOS. The present study generates new insights into the potential hazard of fluorinated organic compounds in marine ecosystems.