External and Internal Human Exposure to PFOA and HFPOs around a Mega Fluorochemical Industrial Park, China: Differences and Implications
Open accessAbstract
Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer and trimer acids (HFPO-DA and HFPO-TA) are used as alternatives to legacy perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); however, little is known about their human exposure risks. In this study, the concentrations of PFOA and HFPO were measured in major human exposure matrices and human bio-samples of local residents near a mega fluorochemical industrial park in Shandong, China, to characterize their external and internal exposures. Although HFPO-DA was detected in drinking water and indoor dust, it exhibited a considerably low bioaccumulation potential in animal-origin food and human samples (urine, hair, and serum), implying that it might be a benign alternative to PFOA. Although the estimated daily intake (EDI) of HFPO-TA was comparable to that of PFOA, its concentration in urine was higher than that of PFOA, implying that it might be eliminated faster than PFOA. A simple one-compartment pharmacokinetic model was applied to estimate the serum concentrations of the target compounds and subsequently compare them with the measured concentrations. The predicted concentration of PFOA in serum based on its concentration in urine and half-life was close to the measured value, confirming the distinct internal exposure of PFOA in the local residents. However, the measured concentrations of HFPO in serum were considerably lower than those predicted from the external EDI and urine concentrations, implying that they were eliminated faster than expected in humans. Various perfluoroalkyl substances were detected in human hair, and their compositions were similar to those in human serum, suggesting that hair is a good non-invasive indicator for long-term exposure to legacy long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and HFPOs. This study provided valuable information about the human exposure to legacy PFOA and HFPOs in highly impacted areas near point sources and necessitates studies on the toxicokinetics of HFPOs.
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To date, the investigation of alternative PFAS compounds within human blood has been limited; few studies have either failed to detect their presence or have identified minimal levels.
“To date, the investigation of alternative PFAS compounds within human blood has been limited. Few studies have either failed to detect their presence or have identified minimal levels [13,14,15].”
From The EU’s Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Ban: A Case of Policy over Science (2023) · cites this paper as [13]
Section 3.4 reports two studies that did not detect HFPO-DA in human serum and another that found HFPO-TA serum concentrations much lower than PFOA. This supports the claim for those specific alternatives, but the paper does not establish that blood studies of alternative PFAS compounds generally are limited or find only absent or minimal levels. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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References 55 · Cited by 109
- Authors
- Feng, X., Chen, X., Yang, Y., Yang, L., Zhu, Y., Shan, G., Zhu, L., & Zhang, S.
- Affiliations
- Nankai University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Shan, Guoqiang
- Zhu, Lingyan
- Venue
- Environment International
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-12
- Volume
- 157
- Pages
- 106824
- ISSN
- 0160-4120 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3193540282
- Cited by
- 109
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 9
- FWCI
- 5.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Environment International (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (21737003, 2018YFC1801003, T2017002, 2019YFC1804203, NSFC 41991313, 41991313)
- Nankai University (T2017002)
- Changjiang Scholar Program of Chinese Ministry of Education (T2017002)
- Graduate Research and Innovation Projects of Jiangsu Province
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Keywords
- perfluorooctanoic acid, HFPO-DA, perfluorinated compounds, human exposure, internal radiation exposure, external exposure, drinking water contamination, house dust, bioaccumulation, estimated daily intake, pharmacokinetic modeling, serum concentration, urine
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Caprylates, China, Dust, Fluorocarbons, Humans, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Drinking Water
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