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PreprintCited by 2Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances researchToxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a terrestrial food web

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Ecke, Frauke, Skrobonja, Alexandra, Malmsten, Jonas, Ahrens, Lutz·2023·bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
DOI 10.1101/2023.12.12.571392
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Abstract

Per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that are broadly used in amongst others aqueous firefighting foam, cosmetics, textiles, carpets, coatings, plastics, and ski wax. Their chemical properties make them persistent organic pollutants that are potential bioaccumulative and toxic. Most studies on PFAS have been performed in groundwater, surface water and aquatic biota. Our knowledge on the terrestrial fate of PFAS is therefore limited. We sampled soil, berries, mushrooms, and wildlife on the island Frösön, central Sweden, in 2021 and 2022, to study the fate of 22 PFAS in a terrestrial food web. Groundwater, surface water and fish on Frösön have previously shown high PFAS concentrations. Soil, berries, and mushrooms were also concurrently sampled in a reference area in northern Sweden. Overall, concentrations of the sum of PFAS were low in berries and mushrooms. In moose ( Alces alces ), roedeer ( Capreolus capreolus ), and bank vole ( Myodes glareolus ), concentrations were highest in liver. The maximum levels for PFOS in offal as set by the European Commission (50 ng/g ww) were exceeded in the liver of two of 10 roedeer. Bank voles ( n = 12 pools) that were sampled in the vicinity of a firefighting training site showed partly extreme concentrations with none of the samples having liver concentrations <474 ng/g ww (maximum 11,600 ng/g ww). Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for multiple PFAS in bank voles were higher for the studied mushrooms and soil compared to studied berries and were >100 for 27 out of 265 calculated BAFs. BAFs in the ungulate species were generally lower than those for bank voles but were >1 for several PFAS from the mushroom. The exact origin of PFAS in bank voles could not be identified in our study, but the BAFs are supported by the feeding and behaviour ecology of bank voles, i.e., there is likely bioaccumulation and biomagnification from soil and mushrooms to bank voles. The measured PFAS concentrations and BAFs, especially those in bank voles are worrying from an ecosystem and One Health perspective considering that voles are staple food for multiple predators.

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  • The few available terrestrial field studies revealed specific differences in the extent of PFAS bioaccumulation between species.

    “Yet, the few available terrestrial field studies revealed specific differences in the extent of PFAS bioaccumulation between species (Ecke et al., 2023; Hopkins et al., 2023; Groffen et al., 2023; Koch et al., 2020)”

    From Strong bioaccumulation of a wide variety of PFAS in a contaminated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem (2025) · cites this paper as Ecke et al., 2023

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Authors
Ecke, F., Skrobonja, A., Malmsten, J., & Ahrens, L.
Affiliations
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
Corresponding author
Ecke, Frauke
ORCID
Venue
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2023-12-13
DOI
10.1101/2023.12.12.571392
OpenAlex
W4389702633
Cited by
2
References
4
Citations by year
2025: 2
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-nd
Locations
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Naturvårdsverket (NV-06350-22)
  • Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet
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 › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
Keywords
per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, terrestrial food webs, bioaccumulation factor, biomagnification, bank vole, moose, roe deer, mushrooms, berries, soil contamination, firefighting foam, PFOS, liver tissue, wildlife contamination, One Health

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