Spatiotemporal distribution of perfluoroalkyl acid in Chinese eggs

ABSTRACT

To study the contamination levels of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in Chinese eggs and the effects of persistent organic pollutant (POP) amendments to the Stockholm Convention blacklist, 3200 eggs from 10 major producing areas were collected from June 2013 to May 2017. Seventeen PFAAs in eggs were analysed. Perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were the main PFAAs in eggs. Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and short-chain PFAAs levels in eggs decreased after the amendment was implemented in China (p < .05), but no significant difference was observed in PFOS. The average ΣPFAAs of eggs from 10 major producing areas was 0.23 ng/g (<LOD–5.4 ng/g), with samples from Hunan, Hubei and Henan being above this threshold, indicates the need for more stringent evaluation and regulation on pollutant management practices. The detection rate of eggs with PFOS risk was very low and no consumption-related health risk was identified.

KEYWORDS:

• Perfluoroalkyl acids
• POPs amendment
• egg
• spatiotemporal distribution
• risk assessment
• perfluorooctane sulphonic acid
• analysis

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City (20JCQNJC00850), Tianjin Innovative Research Team Grant (TD13-5087), Tianjin Science and Technology Support Key Project (19YFZCSN00010), Tianjin Agricultural Science and Technology Achievements Transformation and Promotion Project (202101120).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).