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Perfluorinated alkyl acids in plasma of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from Florida and South Carolina
- Source :
- Environmental toxicology and chemistry. 36(4)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- The present study aimed to quantitate 15 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in 125 adult American alligators at 12 sites across the southeastern United States. Of those 15 PFAAs, 9 were detected in 65% to 100% of samples: perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA), perfluorododecanoic acid, perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTriA), perfluorotetradecanoic acid, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Males (across all sites) showed significantly higher concentrations of 4 PFAAs: PFOS (p = 0.01), PFDA (p = 0.0003), PFUnA (p = 0.021), and PFTriA (p = 0.021). Concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, and PFDA in plasma were significantly different among the sites in each sex. Alligators at both Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (FL, USA) and Kiawah Nature Conservancy (SC, USA) exhibited some of the highest PFOS concentrations (medians of 99.5 ng/g and 55.8 ng/g, respectively) in plasma measured to date in a crocodilian species. A number of positive correlations between PFAAs and snout-vent length were observed in both sexes, suggesting that PFAA body burdens increase with increasing size. In addition, several significant correlations among PFAAs in alligator plasma may suggest conserved sources of PFAAs at each site throughout the greater study area. The present study is the first to report PFAAs in American alligators, to reveal potential PFAA hot spots in Florida and South Carolina, and to provide a contaminant of concern when assessing anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem health. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:917-925. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
South carolina
Male
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
South Carolina
Alligator
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
Article
03 medical and health sciences
biology.animal
Environmental Chemistry
Animals
Ecosystem
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Islands
Alligators and Crocodiles
Fluorocarbons
biology
Chemistry
Plasma composition
030104 developmental biology
Poikilothermia
Environmental chemistry
Florida
Female
Acids, Acyclic
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15528618
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Environmental toxicology and chemistry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5141420c9d523dcc82c2886734adbca7