Perfluoroalkyl substances in Arctic birds

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous in the environment today and they have been detected even in remote areas such as the Arctic. PFASs can be transported by the atmosphere and ocean currents but the transport mechanism is not fully understood. PFASs may be harmful to organisms due to their persistence in the environment, bio-accumulation potential and toxicity. Studies have shown that PFASs can cause adverse effects on the metabolism as well as the endocrine- and reproduction systems in organisms. In this study, PFASs were investigated in glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) (n=5) and black guillemot (Cepphus grylle) (n=4) from Svalbard. In glaucous gull, the mean ∑PFAS concentrations were 147 ng g-1 in liver and 15 ng g-1 in muscle. In black guillemot, the mean ∑PFAS concentrations were 36 ng g-1 in liver and 2.5 ng g-1 in muscle. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the most abundant compound, constituting in average 72 % of the ∑PFASs. The mean PFOS concentration was more than four times higher in glaucous gull than in black guillemot. This can be explained by the glaucous gull’s high trophic level, migration patterns to more industrialized areas, and omnivorous feeding patterns. The concentration levels were higher in liver than in muscle tissue for both species, which complies with other similar studies. This might be due to the fact that PFAS typically accumulate in protein-rich tissues with high blood content, and that the liver has a detoxifying function and takes care of the contaminants in the body. As PFASs are produced in industrial areas far away from Svalbard, the detected concentration levels in the studied species give reason to further investigate the fate and transport of PFASs, as well as their effects on wildlife in the Arctic region.Perfluouroalkylerade ämnen (PFASs) är en grupp föreningar varav många är allmänt förekommande i miljön idag. Dessa ämnen har upptäckts även i avlägsna områden såsom Arktis. Mekanismerna för transporten av PFASs till Arktis är inte helt fastställda, men troligtvis transporteras de via luft och havsströmmar. PFASs kan vara skadliga för organismer och för miljön då de är persistenta, bioackumulerande och har påvisats ha negativa effekter på organismer. I denna studie undersöktes koncentrationer av PFASs i vittrut (Larus hyperboreus) (n=5) och tobisgrissla (Cepphus grylle) (n=4) från Svalbard. I vittrut var de genomsnittliga ΣPFAS koncentrationerna 147 ng g-1 i lever och 15 ng g-1 i muskel. I tobisgrissla var de genomsnittliga ΣPFAS koncentrationerna 36 ng g-1 och 2.5 ng g-1. PFOS var den dominerande föreningen i denna studie; den utgjorde i genomsnitt 72 % av ΣPFASs. Koncentrationsnivåerna av PFOS var mer än fyra gånger så höga i vittrut än i tobisgrissla. Detta kan förklaras av dess höga trofiska nivå, dess migration till mer industrialiserade områden, samt dess opportunistiska matvanor. De genomsnittliga koncentrationerna av PFASs var nämnvärt högre i lever- än i muskelvävnad i båda arterna, vilket stämmer överens med liknande studier. Detta beror troligen på att PFASs i huvudsak ackumuleras i proteinrika vävnader med högt blodinnehåll, samt att levern är ett renande organ som bland annat tar hand om gifter och främmande ämnen. PFASs tillverkas huvudsakligen i industriella områden långt bort från Svalbard. Ändå påvisades de i relativt höga halter i de undersökta fåglarna. Detta ger skäl till att fortsätta forska inom området och ta reda på mer om PFASs transportvägar och effekter på miljön och organismer

Environmental distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on Svalbard: Local sources and long-range transport to the Arctic

The environmental distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, snow, sediment and soil samples taken along the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, Norwegian Arctic, was determined. The contribution of potential local primary sources (wastewater, firefighting training site at Svalbard airport, landfill) to PFAS concentrations and long-range transport (atmosphere, ocean currents) were then compared, based on measured PFAS levels and composition profiles. In remote coastal and inland areas of Spitsbergen, meltwater had the highest mean ΣPFAS concentration (6.5 ± 1.3 ng L−1), followed by surface snow (2.5 ± 1.7 ng L−1), freshwater (2.3 ± 1.1 ng L−1), seawater (1.05 ± 0.64 ng L−1), lake sediments (0.084 ± 0.038 ng g−1 dry weight (dw)) and marine sediments (−1 dw, median 0.015 ng g−1 dw). Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSA) and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (FTSA) were predominant in water and soil samples influenced by local sources, while perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA) were predominant in water and sediment from remote coastal and inland areas of Svalbard. The PFAS composition profiles observed in remote areas indicated that atmospheric transport and oxidation of volatile precursors is an important source of PFCA on Svalbard. Shorter-chain PFAS such as perfluorobutanoate (PFBA) were the predominant PFAS in freshwater, reflecting replacement of C8-chained PFAS with shorter-chained compounds. The comparatively high PFAS (especially PFBA) concentration in meltwater indicated that melting of snow and ice during the Arctic spring is an important diffuse local PFAS source. This source may become even more important with climate warming-induced melting of Arctic glaciers and ice sheets. Further studies of mobilisation and transport of PFAS in the Arctic region are needed to confirm this trend