Perfluoroalkyl substances in human milk: A first survey in Italy

Due to their widespread diffusion, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been frequently found in the environment and in several animal species. It has been demonstrated that they can easily reach also humans, mainly through diet. Being lactation a major route of elimination of these contaminants, their occurrence in human milk is of particular interest, especially considering that it generally represents the unique food source for newborns. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the two most important compounds of this family, have been frequently found in human milk at variable concentrations, but still limited data are available. The present study, the first conducted in Italy capable to detect these pollutants at ultra-trace levels by UPLC-MS/MS, confirmed the role of lactation as a relevant source of exposure for breastfed children. The measured concentrations ranged between 15 and 288 ng/L for PFOS and between 24 and 241 ng/L for PFOA. Moreover, mean concentrations and frequencies of both analytes resulted higher in milk samples provided by primiparous women, suggesting that the risk of intake might be higher for first-borns. Finally, comparing these results with previous data, PFOS gradual decrease over time since year 2000 was confirmed

Levels and trends of the emerging contaminants HBCDs (hexabromocyclododecanes) and PFCs (perfluorinated compounds) in marine shellfish along French coasts

The levels and congener patterns of HBCDs (hexabromocyclododecanes) and PFCs (perfluorinated compounds) were determined in filter-feeding molluscs collected in 2008 and 2010 along the coasts of mainland France. alpha-HBCD and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) were detected in all samples, revealing widespread contamination of the coastal environment by these emerging contaminants. The spatial distribution of Sigma-HBCD concentrations showed higher median levels in samples from the Mediterranean Sea and English Channel respectively, i.e. 0.19 ng g(-1) wet weight (ww) and 0.08 ng g(-1) ww, related to high anthropogenic pressure from urban and industrial activities, while the median concentration was 0.05 ng g(-1) ww in samples from the Atlantic coast. Among PFCs, PFOS was the only compound detected in all samples and PFDA (perfluorodecanoic acid) was the second most frequently-detected compound. PFOS median concentrations were 0.18 ng g(-1) ww, 0.09 ng g(-1) ww and 0.04 ng g(-1) ww in samples from the English Channel, the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean coast respectively. The highest PFOS concentration was found in the Loire estuary, possibly related to local industrial activities. The Mediterranean samples showed a different pattern, with predominant long-chain PFCAs (perfluorocarboxylic acids), suggesting the presence of alternative sources on the Mediterranean coast. The temporal trends studied in archived samples from the Seine estuary site showed a significant exponential increase in HBCD concentrations between 1981 and 2011, with a doubling time of 7 years, while PFOS levels underwent a significant linear decrease over time. These trends are coherent with current regulations on the use of these compounds. The results presented in this paper provide the first data on the contamination of the French coastal marine environment by the selected emerging compounds, and constitute a reference for the future monitoring of French coastal contamination by emerging contaminants

Preliminary investigation on perfluorinated compounds presence in italian and french cow milk by means of a newly developed and validated LC-MS/MS method

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are fully-fluorinated man-made substances largely employed in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, such as food packaging, fire fighting foams, detergents and non-stick cookware. Even if the introduction of these chemicals dates back to the 1950s, little attention has been given to their potential effects on both environment and human health, but the increasing interest on these substances has recently raised serious concerns about their carcinogenic activity, effects on reproduction and liver and kidney toxicity. Human exposure to PFCs is mainly through diet, for this reason the European Union issued the Commission Recommendation 2010/161/EU on the monitoring of these contaminants in food in the Member States. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the two most important and investigated compounds of this group, being added to the POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) listing on the Stockholm Convention. Aim of this work was to carry out a preliminary monitoring on the presence of these two molecules in cow milks commercially available in Italy and France. The cooperation between the two laboratories has led to the development of an efficient method for the detection of various PFCs in milk, based on a liquid- liquid extraction with organic solvent followed by two purification steps through SPE cartridges and injection in LCMS/ MS system. The application of this method to several milk samples from Italy and France has shown similar results in the two countries, with PFOS and PFOA detected in most cases and at similar concentrations. However, these levels of contamination were sensibly lower than the ones observed in various studies on breast milk, and even more if compared to the data available on fish and seafood monitoring. In consideration of the above, cow milk seems not to be a major source of PFCs exposure in human die

Etude in vivo du transfert de la mélamine vers certaines productions avicoles, notamment oeufs et viande

Etude in vivo du transfert de la mélamine vers certaines productions avicoles, notamment oeufs et viand

Compared analytical development and validation based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem or high resolution mass spectrometry for measuring perfluorinated compounds in milk

A method dedicated to analysis of 16 perfluorinated compounds in breast milk sample has been developed based on QQQ and HRMS detection method: advantages of using high resolution has been demonstrated especially in term of detection sensitivity. The method has been validated and is currently under evaluation for ISO 17025 accreditation. Application of this method on several breast milk sample has been initiated to produce body burden data

Analysis of perfluoroalkyl precursors in fish samples: challenge and first application

The objective of the present work was to develop an efficient analytical strategy for isolating (extract and purify) FOSEs and FTOHs from fish samples (notably 6:2 FTOH, 8:2 FTOH and 10:2 FTOH), and then identifying and quantifying these analytes by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS

Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Fish from European Lakes: Current Contamination Status, Sources, and Perspectives for Monitoring

Concentrations in fish of perfluorocarboxylic and perfluorosulfonic acids were reported for 7 deep lakes in the European subalpine area: Lakes Geneva, Lugano, Maggiore, Iseo, Como, Garda, and Mergozzo; one shallow lowland lake (Varese); and 2 high-altitude alpine lakes (>2000 m a.s.l). Fillets and, in selected cases, other body fractions (viscera, liver, and residual carcass) from 8 fish species were analyzed. The possibility of harmonizing the monitoring protocols was tested. Results suggest that the sampling season is not critical for PFASs and the total protein content cannot be used for normalization of tissue concentrations because PFASs bind to specific proteins. Moreover, the polar lipid content could be used to reduce the variability of PFAS concentrations in phospholipid rich fractions of fish such as viscera and carcass. The data comparison and analysis show that the PFAS contamination in lake fish is generally correlated with the degree of urbanization of the lake catchment; however, it is sometimes difficult to compare absolute concentrations in lake fish because the lake hydro-morphological characteristics play a substantial role in determining the chemical concentrations of persistent and mobile contaminants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;00:1\u201319. \ua9 2020 SETAC

Analysis of Perfluorinated Compounds: comparison between Liquid Chromatography coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Perfluorinated compounds, described by some scientist as the “PCBs of the twenty-first century”, are a group of contaminants which present bioaccumulative and persistent properties. Significant amounts of these compounds were detected in human blood and in the liver of many species, and it appears that a potential risk could exist for developmental and other adverse effects associated with exposure in humans. Due to the high affinity of these compounds with the proteins, milk appears to be a highly exposed matrix. Contamination could be present naturally (transfer from cow to milk) or during the processing of milk. The potential toxicity of this matrix is of high concern, considering the large amounts of milk consumed by children. A sensitive and specific method has to be used in order to quantify accurately these compounds in cow milk. Extraction and purification processes present major problems due to the high complexity of the matrix, and they have been optimized using different protocols. A detection method by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry has been developed, which enables the quantification of 15 perfluorinated compounds, especially PFOS and PFOA. The advantages of using a high resolution system are described in terms of sensitivity and specificity

Development of an analytical strategy based on liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry for measuring perfluorinated compounds in human breast milk: Application to the generation of preliminary data regarding perinatal exposure in France

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are man-made chemicals for which endocrine disrupting properties and related possible side effects on human health have been reported, particularly in the case of an exposure during the early stages of development, (notably the perinatal period). Existing analytical methods dedicated to PFCs monitoring in food and/or human fluids are currently based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, and were recently demonstrated to present some limitations in terms of sensitivity and/or specificity. An alternative strategy dedicated to the analysis of fourteen PFCs in human breast milk was proposed, based on an effective sample preparation followed by a liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry measurement (LC–HRMS). This methodology confirmed the high interest for HRMS after negative ionization for such halogenated substances, and finally permitted to reach detection limits around the pg/mL range with an outstanding signal specificity compared to LC–MS/MS. The proposed method was applied to a first set of 30 breast milk samples from French women. The main PFCs detected in all these samples were PFOS and PFOA with respective median values of 74 (range from 24 to 171) and 57 (range from 18 to 102) pg/mL, respectively. These exposure data appeared in the same range as other reported values for European countries

PFAS determination in fish by UPLC-MS/MS

The chemical properties of per and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS) make these synthetic substances widely used in numerous industrial and commercial applications. Due to the large human exposure, the European Union encourages member states to develop methods for the monitoring of PFAS in food (2010/161/EU). A method for PFAS analysis has been developed to support the Belgium federal food agency in the national reference laboratory (NRL) framework</p