Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends
In Canada, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been the focus of several monitoring programs and research and surveillance studies. Here, we integrate recent data and perform a multi-media assessment to examine the current status and ongoing trends of PFAAs in Canada. Concentrations of perfluorooctane...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2013-09-01
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Series: | Environment International |
Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013001098 |
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Article |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Sarah B. Gewurtz Sean M. Backus Amila O. De Silva Lutz Ahrens Alain Armellin Marlene Evans Susan Fraser Melissa Gledhill Paula Guerra Tom Harner Paul A. Helm Hayley Hung Nav Khera Min Gu Kim Martha King Sum Chi Lee Robert J. Letcher Pamela Martin Chris Marvin Daryl J. McGoldrick Anne L. Myers Magella Pelletier Joe Pomeroy Eric J. Reiner Myriam Rondeau Marie-Claude Sauve Mark Sekela Mahiba Shoeib Daniel W. Smith Shirley Anne Smyth John Struger Doug Spry Jim Syrgiannis Jasmine Waltho |
spellingShingle |
Sarah B. Gewurtz Sean M. Backus Amila O. De Silva Lutz Ahrens Alain Armellin Marlene Evans Susan Fraser Melissa Gledhill Paula Guerra Tom Harner Paul A. Helm Hayley Hung Nav Khera Min Gu Kim Martha King Sum Chi Lee Robert J. Letcher Pamela Martin Chris Marvin Daryl J. McGoldrick Anne L. Myers Magella Pelletier Joe Pomeroy Eric J. Reiner Myriam Rondeau Marie-Claude Sauve Mark Sekela Mahiba Shoeib Daniel W. Smith Shirley Anne Smyth John Struger Doug Spry Jim Syrgiannis Jasmine Waltho Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends Environment International |
author_facet |
Sarah B. Gewurtz Sean M. Backus Amila O. De Silva Lutz Ahrens Alain Armellin Marlene Evans Susan Fraser Melissa Gledhill Paula Guerra Tom Harner Paul A. Helm Hayley Hung Nav Khera Min Gu Kim Martha King Sum Chi Lee Robert J. Letcher Pamela Martin Chris Marvin Daryl J. McGoldrick Anne L. Myers Magella Pelletier Joe Pomeroy Eric J. Reiner Myriam Rondeau Marie-Claude Sauve Mark Sekela Mahiba Shoeib Daniel W. Smith Shirley Anne Smyth John Struger Doug Spry Jim Syrgiannis Jasmine Waltho |
author_sort |
Sarah B. Gewurtz |
title |
Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
title_short |
Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
title_full |
Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
title_fullStr |
Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
title_full_unstemmed |
Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
title_sort |
perfluoroalkyl acids in the canadian environment: multi-media assessment of current status and trends |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Environment International |
issn |
0160-4120 |
publishDate |
2013-09-01 |
description |
In Canada, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been the focus of several monitoring programs and research and surveillance studies. Here, we integrate recent data and perform a multi-media assessment to examine the current status and ongoing trends of PFAAs in Canada. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and other long-chain perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) in air, water, sediment, fish, and birds across Canada are generally related to urbanization, with elevated concentrations observed around cities, especially in southern Ontario. PFOS levels in water, fish tissue, and bird eggs were below their respective Draft Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines, suggesting there is low potential for adverse effects to the environment/organisms examined. However, PFOS in fish and bird eggs tended to exceed guidelines for the protection of mammalian and avian consumers, suggesting a potential risk to their wildlife predators, although wildlife population health assessments are needed to determine whether negative impacts are actually occurring. Long-term temporal trends of PFOS in suspended sediment, sediment cores, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) eggs collected from Lake Ontario increased consistently from the start of data collection until the 1990s. However, after this time, the trends varied by media, with concentrations stabilizing in Lake Trout and Herring Gull eggs, and decreasing and increasing in suspended sediment and the sediment cores, respectively. For PFCAs, concentrations in suspended sediment, sediment cores, and Herring Gulls generally increased from the start of data collection until present and concentrations in Lake Trout increased until the late 1990s and subsequently stabilized. A multimedia comparison of PFAA profiles provided evidence that unexpected patterns in biota of some of the lakes were due to unique source patterns rather than internal lake processes. High concentrations of PFAAs in the leachate and air of landfill sites, in the wastewater influent/effluent, biosolids, and air at wastewater treatment plants, and in indoor air and dust highlight the waste sector and current-use products (used primarily indoors) as ongoing sources of PFAAs to the Canadian environment. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of integrating data from different media. Simultaneous evaluation of spatial and temporal trends in multiple media allows inferences that would be impossible with data on only one medium. As such, more co-ordination among monitoring sites for different media is suggested for future sampling, especially at the northern sites. We emphasize the importance of continued monitoring of multiple-media for determining future responses of environmental PFAA concentrations to voluntary and regulatory actions. Keywords: Perfluoroalkyl acids, Canada, Multi-media analysis, Trends, Federal environmental quality guidelines, Potential sources |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013001098 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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doaj-b627db630b444371ae737b60c5f789b52020-11-25T01:01:40ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202013-09-0159183200Perfluoroalkyl acids in the Canadian environment: Multi-media assessment of current status and trendsSarah B. Gewurtz0Sean M. Backus1Amila O. De Silva2Lutz Ahrens3Alain Armellin4Marlene Evans5Susan Fraser6Melissa Gledhill7Paula Guerra8Tom Harner9Paul A. Helm10Hayley Hung11Nav Khera12Min Gu Kim13Martha King14Sum Chi Lee15Robert J. Letcher16Pamela Martin17Chris Marvin18Daryl J. McGoldrick19Anne L. Myers20Magella Pelletier21Joe Pomeroy22Eric J. Reiner23Myriam Rondeau24Marie-Claude Sauve25Mark Sekela26Mahiba Shoeib27Daniel W. Smith28Shirley Anne Smyth29John Struger30Doug Spry31Jim Syrgiannis32Jasmine Waltho33Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, 651 Colby Drive, Waterloo, ON, N2V 1C2, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, Canada; Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 905 336 4646; fax: +1 905 336 6430.Environment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Chemicals Sector Directorate, 351 St. Joseph Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, CanadaOntario Ministry of the Environment, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, ON, M9P 3V6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Chemicals Sector Directorate, 351 St. Joseph Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaOntario Ministry of the Environment, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, ON, M9P 3V6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaOntario Ministry of the Environment, 125 Resources Road, Toronto, ON, M9P 3V6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, CanadaConestoga-Rovers & Associates, 651 Colby Drive, Waterloo, ON, N2V 1C2, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Science and Risk Assessment Directorate, 200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd, Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaEnvironment Canada, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7R 4A6, CanadaIn Canada, perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been the focus of several monitoring programs and research and surveillance studies. Here, we integrate recent data and perform a multi-media assessment to examine the current status and ongoing trends of PFAAs in Canada. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and other long-chain perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) in air, water, sediment, fish, and birds across Canada are generally related to urbanization, with elevated concentrations observed around cities, especially in southern Ontario. PFOS levels in water, fish tissue, and bird eggs were below their respective Draft Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines, suggesting there is low potential for adverse effects to the environment/organisms examined. However, PFOS in fish and bird eggs tended to exceed guidelines for the protection of mammalian and avian consumers, suggesting a potential risk to their wildlife predators, although wildlife population health assessments are needed to determine whether negative impacts are actually occurring. Long-term temporal trends of PFOS in suspended sediment, sediment cores, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) eggs collected from Lake Ontario increased consistently from the start of data collection until the 1990s. However, after this time, the trends varied by media, with concentrations stabilizing in Lake Trout and Herring Gull eggs, and decreasing and increasing in suspended sediment and the sediment cores, respectively. For PFCAs, concentrations in suspended sediment, sediment cores, and Herring Gulls generally increased from the start of data collection until present and concentrations in Lake Trout increased until the late 1990s and subsequently stabilized. A multimedia comparison of PFAA profiles provided evidence that unexpected patterns in biota of some of the lakes were due to unique source patterns rather than internal lake processes. High concentrations of PFAAs in the leachate and air of landfill sites, in the wastewater influent/effluent, biosolids, and air at wastewater treatment plants, and in indoor air and dust highlight the waste sector and current-use products (used primarily indoors) as ongoing sources of PFAAs to the Canadian environment. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of integrating data from different media. Simultaneous evaluation of spatial and temporal trends in multiple media allows inferences that would be impossible with data on only one medium. As such, more co-ordination among monitoring sites for different media is suggested for future sampling, especially at the northern sites. We emphasize the importance of continued monitoring of multiple-media for determining future responses of environmental PFAA concentrations to voluntary and regulatory actions. Keywords: Perfluoroalkyl acids, Canada, Multi-media analysis, Trends, Federal environmental quality guidelines, Potential sourceshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412013001098 |