Half-Lives of PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA after End of Exposure to Contaminated Drinking Water
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Municipal drinking water contaminated with perfluorinated alkyl acids had been distributed to one-third of households in Ronneby, Sweden. The source was firefighting foam used in a nearby airfield since the mid-1980s. Clean water was provided from 16 December 2013. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of decline in serum perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and their corresponding half-lives. METHODS: Up to seven blood samples were collected between June 2014 and September 2016 from 106 participants (age 4-84 years, 53% female). RESULTS: Median initial serum concentrations were PFHxS, 277 ng/mL (range 12-1660); PFOS, 345 ng/mL (range 24-1500); and PFOA, 18 ng/mL (range 2.4-92). The covariate-adjusted average rates of decrease in serum were PFHxS, 13% per year (95% CI 12% to 15%); PFOS, 20% per year (95% CI 19% to 22%); and PFOA, 26% per year (95% CI 24% to 28%). The observed data are consistent with a first-order elimination model. The mean estimated half-life was 5.3 years (95% CI 4.6 to 6.0) for PFHxS, 3.4 years (95% CI 3.1 to 3.7) for PFOS and 2.7 years (95% CI 2.5 to 2.9) for PFOA. The interindividual variation of half-life was around threefold when comparing the 5th and 95th percentiles. There was a marked sex difference with more rapid elimination in women for PFHxS and PFOS, but only marginally for PFOA. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated half-life for PFHxS was considerably longer than for PFOS and PFOA. For PFHxS and PFOS, the average half-life is shorter than the previously published estimates. For PFOA the half-life is in line with the range of published estimates.
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The high HSA binding affinities of PFHxS and PFHpA are consistent with long blood plasma elimination half-lives reported for PFHxS in humans and for PFHpA and PFHxS in pigs.
“These observations are consistent with long blood plasma elimination half-lives reported for PFHxS in humans [54,55] and for PFHpA and PFHxS in pigs [56].”
From In-Vitro and In-Silico Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Binding to Human Serum Albumin (2021) · cites this paper as [55]
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- Authors
- Li, Y., Fletcher, T., Mucs, D., Scott, K., Lindh, C. H., Tallving, P., & Jakobsson, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Lund University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Ying
- Venue
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2017-11-13
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 46-51
- ISSN
- 0007-1072 (ISSN-L)
- 1351-0711
- 1470-7926
- PMC
- PMC5749314
- OpenAlex
- W2768329455
- Cited by
- 815
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 98 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 135 · 2023: 114 · 2022: 91 · 2021: 106 · 2020: 95 · 2019: 49 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 26.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Keywords
- perfluoroalkyl acids, PFOS, PFHxS, perfluorooctanoic acid, half-life, drinking water contamination, firefighting foam, exposure cessation, sex differences, interindividual variability, biomonitoring, breast-fed infants
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Caprylates, Child, Child, Preschool, Environmental Exposure, Female, Fluorocarbons, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Sex Factors, Sulfonic Acids, Sweden, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Supply, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Young Adult, Water Quality, Drinking Water
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