Cited by 75Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances researchFluorine in Organic ChemistryToxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Temporal Trends, 2000-2017, of Perfluoroalkyl Acid (PFAA) Concentrations in Serum of Swedish Adolescents

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Norén, Erika, Lindh, Christian, Glynn, Anders, Rylander, Lars, Pineda, Daniela, Nielsen, Christel·2021·Environment International

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been extensively used as surfactants because of their high stability and good water/oil-repellent properties. PFASs, especially perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), have long biological half-lives, and exposure may cause adverse health effects in humans. We assessed temporal trends of concentrations of eight PFAAs in serum of Swedish adolescents (age 16-21 years) from the general population, and estimated the stability of PFAAs and serum samples after 6 years of storage. Repeated cross-sectional sampling was performed on five occasions (covering in total 1213 individuals, 83% males) in southern Sweden between 2000 and 2017. We analyzed serum for perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA), and perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We assessed time trends using linear regression, long-term stability was assessed by reanalyzing samples collected 2013, and the comparison was done using Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman plots. PFHxS, PFOS, and PFOA decreased by 6.7% (CI: -7.0, -6.3%), 12.6% (CI: -12.9, -12.3%), and 6.5% (CI: -6.8, -6.1%) per year, respectively, and year of sampling explained 48-81% of the variation in concentrations. PFNA and PFDA seemed to increase up to 2009 and decrease thereafter. The trends were consistent after sensitivity analyses excluding women. Strong correlations of 94-97% were observed for concentrations of all compounds, except PFHxS, after storage. The observed trends closely followed the timing of manufacturers' voluntary phase-out initiatives, and of regulatory measures governing the compounds implemented in the EU and USA. This indicates that these actions mitigated the population's exposure to PFHxS, PFOS, and PFOA and, in recent years, to PFNA and PFDA, in southern Sweden. Furthermore, the results suggest that PFAAs remain stable in serum samples after long-term storage.

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  1. UNEP-POPRC, 2018. Report of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee on the work of its fourteenth meeting: Risk profile on perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts and PFHxS-related compounds.

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Authors
Norén, E., Lindh, C., Glynn, A., Rylander, L., Pineda, D., & Nielsen, C.
Affiliations
  • Lund University (SE)
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
Corresponding author
Norén, Erika
Venue
Environment International
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-10
Volume
155
Pages
106716
ISSN
0160-4120 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3167817278
Cited by
75
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2
FWCI
3.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environment International (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Epsilon Open Archive (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet biblioteket (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Lunds Universitet
  • Naturvårdsverket (2215-17-019, 235-1780-08, 2215-16-002)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
Keywords
perfluoroalkyl acids, PFAS, temporal trends, serum concentration, adolescents, PFHxS, PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFNA, perfluorodecanoic acid, sample storage stability, regulatory instruments, human exposure, Sweden, perfluoroundecanoic acid, PFHpA
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Environmental Pollutants, Female, Fluorocarbons, Humans, Male, Sulfonic Acids, Sweden, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Young Adult

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