Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium; Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0808, Sapporo, Japan.
Environ Res. 2024 Nov 1;260:119753. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119753. Epub 2024 Aug 8.
and ultra-short chain perfluoroalkyl substances (S- and US-PFAS) are alternatives for the long-chain PFAS which have been more regulated over time. They are highly mobile in the environment and can easily reach drinking water sources which can become an important human exposure route. Furthermore, there have been growing concerns about the presence of PFAS in Flanders. Because of this, human exposure to S- and US-PFAS through Flemish drinking water was evaluated in this study. For this purpose, the presence of 2 S-PFAS (PFBS and PFBA) and 5 US-PFAS (PFPrS, PFEtS, TFMS, PFPrA and TFA) was investigated in 47 tap water samples, collected from different Flemish provinces, and 16 bottled waters purchased in Flanders. Out of the 7 target PFAS, 4 (PFBA, PFBS, PFPrS and PFEtS) were detected at concentrations above LOQ in tap water. In bottled water, only TFMS was present above its LOQ. PFAS concentrations in all analyzed water samples ranged from <0.7 to 7.3 ng/L for PFBS, <0.03-15.0 ng/L for TFMS and <0.9-12.0 ng/L for PFBA. PFPrS was only detected once above its LOQ, at 0.6 ng/L. No value could be reported for PFPrA due to high procedural blanks resulting in a high LOQ, nor for TFA due to high matrix effect. No significant differences in PFAS concentrations were seen in tap water among different drinking water companies, provinces, nor between the two types of analyzed bottled water (natural mineral water vs spring water). The use of a commercial carbon filter significantly reduced the median concentrations of the studied compounds in tap water. Finally, it was estimated that the presence of S- and US-PFAS in Flemish drinking water does not pose an immediate threat to human health, as concentrations were at least two orders of magnitude below the available guidance values.
短链和超短链全氟烷基物质（S- 和 US-PFAS）是长链 PFAS 的替代品，随着时间的推移，长链 PFAS 的监管越来越严格。它们在环境中具有高度的移动性，很容易到达饮用水源，这可能成为人类暴露的重要途径。此外，人们对佛兰德存在 PFAS 的问题越来越关注。因此，本研究评估了佛兰德人通过弗拉芒饮用水接触 S- 和 US-PFAS 的情况。为此，在 47 个取自不同弗拉芒省的自来水样本和 16 个在弗拉芒购买的瓶装水中，调查了 2 种 S-PFAS（PFBS 和 PFBA）和 5 种 US-PFAS（PFPrS、PFEtS、TFMS、PFPrA 和 TFA）的存在情况。在所研究的 7 种目标 PFAS 中，有 4 种（PFBA、PFBS、PFPrS 和 PFEtS）在自来水中的浓度超过定量限。在瓶装水中，只有 TFMS 的浓度超过定量限。在所分析的所有水样中，PFAS 的浓度范围为 PFBS 为<0.7-7.3ng/L，TFMS 为<0.03-15.0ng/L，PFBA 为<0.9-12.0ng/L。仅在一次检测中，PFPrS 的浓度超过定量限，为 0.6ng/L。由于高程序空白导致高定量限，PFPrA 无法报告数值，由于基质效应高，TFA 也无法报告数值。不同饮用水公司、不同省份的自来水中的 PFAS 浓度没有显著差异，两种类型的瓶装水（天然矿泉水与泉水）之间也没有显著差异。商用碳过滤器的使用显著降低了自来水中所研究化合物的中位数浓度。最后，估计佛兰芒饮用水中 S- 和 US-PFAS 的存在不会对人类健康构成直接威胁，因为浓度至少比现有的指导值低两个数量级。
