Cited by 198Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances researchToxic Organic Pollutants ImpactFluorine in Organic Chemistry

Highly elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate and other perfluorinated acids found in biota and surface water downstream of an international airport, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

de Solla, S.R., De Silva, A.O., Letcher, R.J.·2012·Environment International

Abstract

Per- and poly-fluorinated compounds (PFCs), which include perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs) and sulfonates (PFSAs) and various precursors, are used in a wide variety of industrial, commercial and domestic products. This includes aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), which is used by military and commercial airports as fire suppressants. In a preliminary assessment prior to this study, very high concentrations (>1 ppm wet weight) of the PFSA, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were discovered in the plasma of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) collected in 2008 from Lake Niapenco in southern Ontario, Canada. We presently report on a suite of C(6) to C(15) PFCAs, C(4), C(6), C(8) and C(10) PFSAs, several PFC precursors (e.g. perfluorooctane sulfonamide, PFOSA), and a cyclic perfluorinated acid used in aircraft hydraulic fluid, perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS) in surface water from the Welland River and Lake Niapenco, downstream of the John C. Munro International Airport, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Amphipods, shrimp, and water were sampled from the Welland River and Lake Niapenco, as well as local references. The same suite of PFCs in turtle plasma from Lake Niapenco was compared to those from other southern Ontario sites. PFOS dominated the sum PFCs in all substrates (e.g., >99% in plasma of turtles downstream the Hamilton Airport, and 72.1 to 94.1% at all other sites). PFOS averaged 2223(±247.1SE) ng/g in turtle plasma from Lake Niapenco, and ranged from 9.0 to 171.4 elsewhere. Mean PFOS in amphipods and in water were 518.1(±83.8)ng/g and 130.3(±43.6) ng/L downstream of the airport, and 19.1(±2.7) ng/g and 6.8(±0.5) ng/L at reference sites, respectively. Concentrations of selected PFCs declined with distance downstream from the airport. Although there was no known spill event or publicly reported use of AFFF associated with a fire event at the Hamilton airport, the airport is a likely major source of PFC contamination in the Welland River.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.envint.2011.09.011

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Authors
de Solla, S. R., De Silva, A. O., & Letcher, R. J.
Affiliations
Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA)
Venue
Environment International
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-02
Volume
39
Issue
1
Pages
19-26
ISSN
0160-4120 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2075544881
Cited by
198
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 4
FWCI
4.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environment International (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Wildlife Research Center
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
Keywords
PFOS, perfluoroalkyl acids, perfluorinated carboxylic acids, perfluorooctane sulfonamide, aqueous film-forming foam, Chelydra serpentina, Amphipoda, surface water contamination
MeSH terms
Alkanesulfonates, Animals, Carboxylic Acids, Cyclohexanes, Environmental Monitoring, Fluorocarbons, Fresh Water, Ontario, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Amphipoda, Rivers, Biota, Airports, Lakes

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