Levels and profiles of perfluorinated alkyl acids in liver tissues of birds with different habitat types and trophic levels from an urbanized coastal region of South Korea

Published

August 1, 2022

Author(s)

Sang Hee Hong, Jessica L. Reiner, Mi Jang, Stacy Schuur, Gi Myung Han, John Kucklick, Won Joon Shim

Abstract

Contamination status and characteristics of perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) including perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluorinated sulfonic acids (PFSAs) was examined using liver tissue of birds - blacktailed gulls (Larus crassirostris), domestic pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica), pacific loons (Gavia pacifica), herons (Ardea cinerea), and egrets (Egretta garzetta and Ardea alba) - with different trophic levels, habitat types and migratory behaviors from an industrialized coastal region of South Korea. A wide range of PFAAs (1.09 ng/g to 1060 ng/g; median=52.6 ng/g)were detected in bird livers fromthe Korean coasts with high detection frequency. Accumulation features of PFAAs in birds indicated that primarily trophic position and secondly habitat type influence the levels and composition of PFAAs, e.g., relatively high PFAA levels and high composition of odd-numbered long carbon chain PFCAs (perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriDA)) and PFOS in higher trophic and marine birds. The prevalence of long carbon chain (≥14) PFCAs likely implies a wide use of fluorotelomer-based substances in Korea. Interspecies comparison in the accumulation profile of persistent organic pollutants (including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), and PFAAs) reveals relatively high load of PFAAs in inland (pigeons) and estuarine (egrets/herons) species compared to marine bird species, indicating wide use of PFAAs in the terrestrial environment.

Citation

Science of the Total Environment

Volume

806

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151263

Local Download

Keywords

Bird, Biomonitoring, Perfluorinated alkyl acids, Habitat type, Trophic level, Interspecies comparison

Citation

Hong, S. , Reiner, J. , Jang, M. , Schuur, S. , Han, G. , Kucklick, J. and Shim, W. (2022), Levels and profiles of perfluorinated alkyl acids in liver tissues of birds with different habitat types and trophic levels from an urbanized coastal region of South Korea, Science of the Total Environment, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151263, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=932885 (Accessed April 23, 2024)