Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Fish from European Lakes: Current Contamination Status, Sources, and...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants found globally.
• Understanding PFAS bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is crucial for ecological risk assessment.
• Fish are important indicators of aquatic contamination due to their position in the food web.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations in fish from various European lakes.
• To investigate factors influencing PFAS levels in fish tissues, including urbanization and hydro-morphological characteristics.
• To evaluate methods for harmonizing monitoring protocols and normalizing PFAS concentrations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of PFAS concentrations in fish fillets and other tissues (viscera, liver, carcass) from 8 species across 10 lakes.
• Testing the influence of sampling season and tissue composition (protein, polar lipids) on PFAS levels.
• Correlating PFAS concentrations with lake catchment urbanization and hydro-morphological features.

Main Results:

• PFAS contamination in lake fish generally correlates with the degree of urbanization in the lake catchment.
• Sampling season was not critical for PFAS analysis, but total protein content is unsuitable for normalization.
• Polar lipid content shows potential for reducing variability in PFAS concentrations in lipid-rich tissues.

Conclusions:

• PFAS contamination in European lake fish is linked to anthropogenic activities but modulated by lake-specific environmental factors.
• Hydro-morphological characteristics significantly impact contaminant concentrations, complicating direct comparisons.
• Harmonized monitoring and normalization strategies, such as using polar lipid content, are needed for robust PFAS assessment in fish.