Mesfin Tefera Yonatal, Gaskin Sharyn, Mitchell Krystle, Springer David, Mills Simon, Pisaniello Dino
Adelaide Exposure Science and Health, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Australia; Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Ethiopia.
Adelaide Exposure Science and Health, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Australia.
Environ Int. 2022 Oct;168:107455. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107455. Epub 2022 Aug 6.
Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also known as PFAS is an ongoing occupational and environmental health problem. This study seeks to characterise multiple pathways for firefighters' exposure to PFAS. PFAS were analysed in 688 environmental samples such as eggs, fruits, vegetables, dust, soil, surface swabs, appliance washes and water obtained from fire stations. Relevant exposure pathways were identified and daily intake levels were estimated using PFAS concentrations and exposure factors relevant to firefighters. Five PFAS including perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), and 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS) were frequently detected in the samples. Based on the median concentrations in each sample type, PFOS was the most abundant contaminant in eggs (80%), fruits (52%), dust (81%), surface swab (66%), soil (83%) and appliance wash (31%) samples. On the other hand, PFHxS was most abundant in vegetables (77%) and 8:2 FTS in water (58%). The intake estimation results show that dietary exposure from ingestion of foods produced on fire stations was the predominant exposure pathway, representing 82% and 62% of firefighters' total PFAS intake under typical and worst-case exposure scenarios, respectively. Incidental ingestion and dermal absorption of PFAS in dust contributed 15% for typical and 34% for worst-case exposure scenarios. The relative contributions from incidental ingestion and dermal absorption of PFAS in soil and appliance washes were insignificant. Overall, the study identifies multiple exposure pathways relevant to career firefighters including consumption of food grown on fire stations, which has not previously been recognised within the occupational exposure context. The results suggest exposure control strategies that target foods produced on fire stations could substantially reduce firefighters' exposure to PFAS.
人类接触全氟和多氟烷基物质（也称为PFAS）仍是一个持续存在的职业和环境健康问题。本研究旨在描述消防员接触PFAS的多种途径。对从消防站采集的688份环境样本进行了PFAS分析，这些样本包括鸡蛋、水果、蔬菜、灰尘、土壤、表面擦拭物、设备清洗液和水。确定了相关的接触途径，并利用PFAS浓度和与消防员相关的接触因子估算了每日摄入量。在样本中经常检测到五种PFAS，包括全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）、全氟辛酸（PFOA）、全氟己烷磺酸（PFHxS）、6:2氟调聚物磺酸盐（6:2 FTS）和8:2氟调聚物磺酸（8:2 FTS）。根据每种样本类型的中位数浓度，PFOS是鸡蛋（80%）、水果（52%）、灰尘（81%）、表面擦拭物（66%）、土壤（83%）和设备清洗液（31%）样本中含量最高的污染物。另一方面，PFHxS在蔬菜中含量最高（77%），8:2 FTS在水中含量最高（58%）。摄入量估算结果表明，摄入消防站生产的食物导致的饮食接触是主要的接触途径，在典型和最坏接触情景下，分别占消防员PFAS总摄入量的82%和62%。灰尘中PFAS的偶然摄入和皮肤吸收在典型接触情景下占15%，在最坏接触情景下占34%。土壤和设备清洗液中PFAS的偶然摄入和皮肤吸收的相对贡献微不足道。总体而言，该研究确定了与职业消防员相关的多种接触途径，包括食用消防站种植的食物，这在职业接触背景下以前未被认识到。结果表明，针对消防站生产的食物的接触控制策略可以大幅减少消防员对PFAS的接触。
