Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in mineral water and tap water

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to determine PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) concentrations in various sources of water intended for human consumption, use these data to calculate the possible uptake via water as well as to estimate the water related health risk to consumers. A total of 177 water samples (119 mineral waters, 26 tap water samples, 18 spring water samples and 14 raw (untreated) water samples) were analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the presence of 10 or 19 PFASs, respectively. PFAS concentrations above the limit of detection of 1 ng/L were found in 52% of all samples. Short-chain PFASs with less than 8 carbon atoms were responsible for 58% of the total PFAS contamination. The highest concentration (sum of PFASs) of 42.7 ng/L was detected in tap water. The calculated maximum uptake of both components for which a tolerable daily intake (TDI) level exists were 0.17 ng/kg bodyweight/day for PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) and 0.21 ng/kg bodyweight/day for PFOA (perfluorooctane carboxylic acid). In regard to the model calculations made here (TDI for adults and for infants), the uptake of PFOS and PFOA via consumption of water can be considered negligible. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A to view the supplemental file.

Keywords:

• Mineral water
• drinking water
• tap water
• PFC
• PFAA
• PFAS
• risk to consumers
• human exposure
• daily uptake
• TDI

Acknowledgments

We kindly acknowledge Ms. Rosa Maria Sobel and Ms. Maria Elisabeth Ebel for the measurements of the mineral water samples. We also wish to thank Roy Ackmann and Ms. Barbara Gamb for their assistance in the literature search.