Global Distribution of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Wildlife

Here we report, for the first time, on the global distribution of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a fluorinated organic contaminant. PFOS was measured in the tissues of wildlife, including, fish, birds, and marine mammals. Some of the species studied include bald eagles, polar bears, albatrosses, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2001-04, Vol.35 (7), p.1339-1342
Main Authors: Giesy, John P, Kannan, Kurunthachalam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Animals, Wild
Applied ecology
Aquatic life
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Birds
Contamination
Diet
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Environmental impact
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants - analysis
Environmental Pollutants - pharmacokinetics
Fish
fluorine
Fluorocarbons - analysis
Fluorocarbons - pharmacokinetics
Food Chain
Fresh water environment
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Mammalia
Marine and brackish environment
perfluorooctane sulfonate
Pisces
Seals, Earless
Studies
Sulfur
Tissue Distribution
Ursidae
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Summary:Here we report, for the first time, on the global distribution of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a fluorinated organic contaminant. PFOS was measured in the tissues of wildlife, including, fish, birds, and marine mammals. Some of the species studied include bald eagles, polar bears, albatrosses, and various species of seals. Samples were collected from urbanized areas in North America, especially the Great Lakes region and coastal marine areas and rivers, and Europe. Samples were also collected from a number of more remote, less urbanized locations such as the Arctic and the North Pacific Oceans. The results demonstrated that PFOS is widespread in the environment. Concentrations of PFOS in animals from relatively more populated and industrialized regions, such as the North American Great Lakes, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, were greater than those in animals from remote marine locations. Fish-eating, predatory animals such as mink and bald eagles contained concentrations of PFOS that were greater than the concentrations in their diets. This suggests that PFOS can bioaccumulate to higher trophic levels of the food chain. Currently available data indicate that the concentrations of PFOS in wildlife are less than those required to cause adverse effects in laboratory animals.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es001834k