Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in children’s serum and contribution from PFAA-contaminated drinking water

We investigated associations between serum perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) concentrations in children aged 4, 8, and 12 years (sampled in 2008–2015; n = 57, 55, and 119, respectively) and exposure via placental transfer, breastfeeding, and ingestion of PFAA-contaminated drinking water. Sampling took place in Uppsala County, Sweden, where the drinking water has been historically contaminated with perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). PFOS showed the highest median concentrations in serum (3.8–5.3 ng g–1 serum), followed by PFHxS (1.6–5.0 ng g–1 serum), PFOA (2.0–2.5 ng g–1 serum), and perfluorononanoate (PFNA) (0.59–0.69 ng g–1 serum) in children. Including all children, serum PFOA, PFHxS, and PFOS concentrations in children increased 10, 10, and 1.3% (adjusted mean), respectively, per unit (ng g–1 serum) of increase in the maternal serum level (at delivery), the associations being strongest for 4 year-old children. PFHxS and PFOS significantly increased 3.9 and 3.8%, respectively, per month of nursing, with the highest increase for 4 year-olds. PFOA, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFOS increased 1.2, 207, 7.4, and 0.93%, respectively, per month of cumulative drinking water exposure. Early life exposure to PFOA, PFHxS, and PFOS is an important determinant of serum concentrations in children, with the strongest influence on younger ages. Drinking water with low to moderate PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS, and PFOA contamination is an important source of exposure for children with background exposure from other sources

Demographic, life-style and physiological determinants of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations in a national cross-sectional survey of Swedish adolescents

Per: and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may affect adolescent health, yet factors related to PFAS concentrations in serum are poorly understood. We studied demographic, life-style and physiological determinants of serum PFAS concentrations in Swedish adolescents from a nation-wide survey, Riksmaten Adolescents 2016-17 (RMA, age 10-21 years, n = 1098). Serum samples were analyzed for 42 PFAS, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The cumulative probability model was used to estimate associations between serum PFAS and determinants, using ordinal logistic regression. Legacy linear (lin-) perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononaoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA), lin-perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and lin-/branched (br-) perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) were quantifiable in >= 70% of the samples. The emerging PFAS 9-chlorohexanedecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS) was quantified in 5.4% of the samples, suggesting initiation of long-range transport far from production sites. Median concentrations of all legacy PFAS were 100 ng/g serum) lin-PFHxS and lin-/br-PFOS concentrations due to previous high exposure from PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Legacy PFAS exposure was strongly associated with birth country of the participants and their mothers. 2-fold higher estimated adjusted mean (EAM) concentrations were seen among high income country participants with mothers from high income countries than among low/lower-middle income country participants with mothers from the same category. Menstruating females had lower lin-PFOA and br-PFOS EAM concentrations than those who were not. Iron status (plasma ferritin) among females may be a marker of intensity of menstrual bleeding, but it was not significantly associated with legacy PFAS concentrations among females. Further studies are needed to determine how physiological changes occurring around menstruation affect the toxicokinetics of PFAS in females. In conclusion, PFAS are pollutants of the industrialized world and some of the identified determinants may be overlooked confounders/effect modifiers that should be included in future PFAS/health studies among adolescents

Healthy eating index and diet diversity score as determinants of serum perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) concentrations in a national survey of Swedish adolescents

Food is an important source of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) exposure for the general adult population, but few data exist for adolescents. Healthy food habits established during adolescence may positively influence health later in life. Associations between serum PFAA concentrations and a healthy eating index (SHEIA15), as well as a diet diversity score (RADDS), were determined in a nationally representative adolescent population from Sweden (Riksmaten Adolescents 2016–2017, RMA). Using consumption data from food registrations and frequency questionnaires, we additionally analyzed associations with commonly consumed food groups. Associations were analyzed by fitting a cumulative probability model using ordinal regression. Among the seven PFAAs detected in ≥70% of the 1098 participants (age 10–21 years), median concentrations ranged fro

Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) in Serum from 2-4-Month-Old Infants: Influence of Maternal Serum Concentration, Gestational Age, Breast-Feeding, and Contaminated Drinking Water

Little is known about factors influencing infant perfluorinated alkyl acid (PFAA) concentrations. Associations between serum PFAA concentrations in 2-4-month-old infants (n = 101) and determinants were investigated by multiple linear regression and general linear model analysis. In exclusively breastfed infants, maternal serum PFAA concentrations 3 weeks after delivery explained 13% (perfluoroundecanoic acid, PFUnDA) to 73% (perfluorohexanesulfonate, PFHxS) of infant PFAA concentration variation. Median infant/maternal ratios decreased with increasing PFAA carbon chain length from 2.8 for perfluoroheptanoic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to 0.53 for PFUnDA and from 1.2 to 0.69 for PFHxS and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). Infant PFOA, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and PFOS levels increased 0.7-1.2% per day of gestational age. Bottle-fed infants had mean concentrations of PFAAs 2 times lower than and a mean percentage of branched (%br) PFOS isomers 1.3 times higher than those of exclusively breast-fed infants. PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS levels increased 8-11% per week of exclusive breast-feeding. Infants living in an area receiving PFAA-contaminated drinking water had 3-fold higher mean perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) and PFHxS concentrations and higher mean %br PFHxS. Prenatal PFAA exposure and postnatal PFAA exposure significantly contribute to infant PFAA serum concentrations, depending on PFAA carbon chain length. Moderately PFBS- and PFHxS-contaminated drinking water is an important indirect exposure source

Waste Incineration as a Possible Source of Perfluoroalkyl Acids to the Environment – Method Development and Screening

Atmospheric deposition has been suggested to be a major input pathway of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) to the Baltic Sea catchment area and to the Baltic Sea itself. However, the sources of PFAAs to the atmosphere are not well characterized. In this study we investigated if waste incineration plants in Sweden could be a source of PFAAs to the atmosphere and to the environment in general. Samples of the end products from waste incineration were collected at four different incineration plants. The plants differed in size and technical advancement and were considered to be representative for the majority of waste incineration plants in Sweden. The collected samples were slag from the furnaces, fly ash from the flue gases, “bambergkaka” (a mix of fly ash and sludge from wastewater treatment) as well as condensate and wastewater from the cleaning process of the flue gases. Two methods were developed, one for analysis of PFAAs in solid samples and one for water samples. Method validation showed good performance for both methods in terms of precision and accuracy, despite low recoveries obtained for the method for solid samples. The results from sample analysis revealed that PFAAs were present in all solid samples at concentrations in the low to sub ng/g range and in all but one condensate and wastewater samples at concentrations in the low to sub ng/L range. The quantified concentrations were used to estimate the potential annual discharges of PFAAs from waste incineration plants to the environment. Emission scenarios via landfills, via wastewater treatment plants and to the atmosphere were considered. The main conclusion of this study is that waste incineration in Sweden is not a significant source of PFAAs to the atmosphere or to the environment in general

Adjusting to job loss : Older workless men and economic change

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Regional variations in the treatment of gallstone disease may affect patient outcome : A large, population-based register study in sweden

Background: The lack of studies showing benefit from surgery in patients with symptoms of gallstone disease has led to a divergence in local practices and standards of care. This study aimed to explore regional differences in management and complications in Sweden. Furthermore, to study whether population density had an impact on management. Methods: Data were collected from the Swedish National Register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks). Cholecystectomies undertaken for gallstone disease between January 2006 and December 2017 were included. Age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, intra- and post-operative complications, and the proportion of patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent surgery within 2 days of hospital admission were analyzed. The 21 different geographical regions in Sweden were compared, and each variable was analyzed according to population density. Results: A total of 139,444 cholecystectomies cases were included in this study. There were large differences between regions regarding indications for surgery and intra- and post-operative complications. In the analyses, there were greater divergences than would be expected by chance for most of the variables analyzed. Age of the cholecystectomized patients correlated with population density of the regions (R2 = 0.310; p = 0.0088). Conclusion: There are major differences between the different regions in Sweden in terms of the treatment of gallstone disease and outcome, but these did not correlate to population density, suggesting that local routines are more likely to have an impact on treatment strategies rather than demographic factors. These differences need further investigation to reveal the underlying causes

Effects of Leachates from UV-Weathered Microplastic in Cell-Based Bioassays

Standard ecotoxicological testing of microplastic does not provide insight into the influence that environmental weathering by, e.g., UV light has on related effects. In this study, we leached chemicals from plastic into artificial sea water during simulated UV-induced weathering. We tested largely additive-free pre-production polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene and polystyrene and two types of plastic obtained from electronic equipment as positive controls. Leachates were concentrated by solid-phase extraction and dosed into cell-based bioassays that cover i) cytotoxicity; ii) activation of metabolic enzymes via binding to the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ); iii) specific, receptor-mediated effects (estrogenicity, ER); and iv) adaptive response to oxidative stress (AREc32). LC-HRMS analysis was used to identify possible chain-scission products of polymer degradation, which were then tested in AREc32 and PPARγ. Explicit activation of all assays by the positive controls provided proof-of-concept of the experimental setup to demonstrate effects of chemicals liberated during weathering. All plastic leachates activated the oxidative stress response, in most cases with increased induction by UV-treated samples compared to dark controls. For PPARγ, polyethylene-specific effects were partially explained by the detected dicarboxylic acids. Since the pre-production plastic showed low effects often in the range of the blanks future studies should investigate implications of weathering on end consumer products containing additives.publishedVersio