Serum Half-Lives for Short- and Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Acids after Ceasing Exposure from Drinking Water Contaminated by Firefighting Foam
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Firefighting foam-contaminated ground water, which contains high levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is frequently found around airports. In 2018 it was detected that employees at a municipal airport in northern Sweden had been exposed to high levels of short-chain PFAS along with legacy PFAS (i.e., PFOA, PFHxS, and PFOS) through drinking water. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to describe the PFAS profile in drinking water and biological samples (paired serum and urine) and to estimate serum half-lives of the short-chain PFAS together with legacy PFAS. METHODS: Within 2 weeks after provision of clean water, blood sampling was performed in all 26 airport employees. Seventeen of them were then followed up monthly for 5 months. PFHxA, PFHpA, PFBS, PFPeS, and PFHpS together with legacy PFAS in water and biological samples were quantified using LC/MS/MS. Half-lives were estimated by assuming one compartment, first-order elimination kinetics. RESULTS: The proportions of PFHxA, PFHpA, and PFBS were higher in drinking water than in serum. The opposite was found for PFHxS and PFOS. The legacy PFAS accounted for about 50% of total PFAS in drinking water and 90% in serum. Urinary PFAS levels were very low compared with serum. PFBS showed the shortest half-life {average 44 d [95% confidence interval (CI): 37, 55 d]}, followed by PFHpA [62 d (95% CI: 51, 80 d)]. PFPeS and PFHpS showed average half-lives as 0.63 and 1.46 y, respectively. Branched PFOS isomers had average half-lives ranging from 1.05 to 1.26 y for different isomers. PFOA, PFHxS, and linear PFOS isomers showed average half-lives of 1.77, 2.87, and 2.93 y, respectively. DISCUSSION: A general pattern of increasing half-lives with increasing chain length was observed. Branched PFOS isomers had shorter half-lives than linear PFOS isomers. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6785.
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In a study of airport workers exposed to contaminated groundwater, historical PFAS accounted for 50% of total PFAS in drinking water and 90% in serum; branched PFOS isomers had shorter half-lives than linear PFOS isomers, with half-lives generally decreasing with decreasing chain length.
“A study analyzing PFAS profiles in drinking water and biological samples from airport workers exposed to contaminated groundwater found that ‘historical’ PFAS accounted for 50% of the total PFAS in drinking water and 90% in serum. Branched PFOS isomers had shorter half-lives than linear PFOS isomers, with half-lives generally decreasing with decreasing chain length [65].”
From The EU’s Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Ban: A Case of Policy over Science (2023) · cites this paper as [65]
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- Authors
- Xu, Y., Fletcher, T., Pineda, D., Lindh, C. H., Nilsson, C., Glynn, A., Vogs, C., Norström, K., Lilja, K., Jakobsson, K., & Li, Y.
- Affiliations
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Lund University (SE)
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
- Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SE)
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Xu, Yiyi
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2020-07
- Volume
- 128
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 77004-77004
- ISSN
- 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-9924
- PMC
- PMC7351026
- OpenAlex
- W3041328347
- Cited by
- 342
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 66 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 5
- FWCI
- 15.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-sa
- Locations
- Environmental Health Perspectives (publishedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas (2017-00875)
- Naturvårdsverket
- Vetenskapsrådet (2017-00875)
- Umeå Universitet
- 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 › Chemical Analysis and Environmental Impact
- Keywords
- perfluoroalkyl acids, serum half-life, drinking water contamination, airport employees, PFBS, PFHpA, perfluorohexanoic acid, perfluoropolyether, PFHpS, PFOS isomers, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFHxS, legacy PFAS, chain length, exposure cessation, elimination kinetics
- MeSH terms
- Aerosols, Caprylates, Environmental Exposure, Environmental Monitoring, Flame Retardants, Fluorocarbons, Half-Life, Humans, Sweden, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Groundwater, Drinking Water
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