Tissue-Specific Distribution of Legacy and Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Juvenile Seabirds

Of
the thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
in the environment, few have been investigated in detail. In this
study, we analyzed 36 legacy and emerging PFAS in multiple seabird
tissues collected from individuals from Massachusetts Bay, Narragansett
Bay, and the Cape Fear River Estuary. PFOS was the dominant compound
across multiple tissues, while long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic
acids (PFCAs) dominated in brain (mean = 44% of total concentrations).
Emerging perfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs)Nafion byproduct-2
and PFO5DoDAwere detected in greater than 90% of tissues in
birds obtained from a nesting region downstream from a major fluorochemical
production site. Compound ratios, relative body burden calculations,
and electrostatic surface potential calculations were used to describe
partitioning behavior of PFEAs in different tissues. Novel PFEAs preferentially
partition into blood compared to liver and were documented in brain
for the first time. PFO5DoDA showed a reduced preference for brain
compared to PFCAs and Nafion BP2. These results suggest future monitoring
efforts and toxicological studies should focus on novel PFAS and long-chain
PFCAs in multiple tissues beyond liver and blood, while exploring
the unique binding mechanisms driving uptake of multi-ether PFEAs.