Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure profiles for pregnant women living in urban, rural, and remote areas of Suriname, South America suggest higher serum concentrations in remote rainforest communities
Jul 2026· Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology· 0 citations· 74 references
Medicine
TL;DR
The analysis revealed mostly long-chain legacy PFAS with possibly different exposure risks for secluded interior communities compared to urban-coastal populations, indicating a need for contaminant source assessments.
Abstract
Background
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of organofluorine compounds used in industrial and consumer applications. The primary route of human exposure to PFAS is ingestion of contaminated food and drinking water, representing a significant and sometimes unavoidable exposure for many populations. Ecotoxicological and epidemiological studies have established associations between PFAS exposures and adverse health effects. Fetal and childhood development is a particularly susceptible window of exposure.
Objective
We characterized PFAS exposures for pregnant women in Suriname who identified as Indigenous or Tribal Peoples, and we examined regional variations in exposure patterns between urban, rural, and remote populations.
Methods
We measured 24 PFAS analytes in the blood serum of 100 pregnant Tribal and Indigenous women living in Suriname. Samples were collected from December 2016 to July 2019 and were purposively selected for laboratory analysis. We assessed differences in serum concentrations visually and statistically by location and ethnicity.
Results
Ten unique PFAS were detected in at least one sample. The median total PFAS across all participants was 1.05 ng/mL (IQR: 0.73–1.45 ng/mL). The most frequently detected PFAS were PFOS (DF = 100%, median concentration (x˜)=0.59ng/mL), PFOA (DF = 86%, x˜=0.15ng/mL), PFNA (DF = 84%, x˜=0.09ng/mL), PFUnDA (DF = 72%, x˜=0.09ng/mL), and PFHxS (DF = 71%, x˜=0.06ng/mL). Median total PFAS concentrations were highest for participants in the remote interior district, although differences among the districts were not statistically significant (p = 0.37) and should be interpreted cautiously due to limited statistical power. Indigenous Peoples tended to have higher total PFAS in their blood serum (x˜=1.25ng/mL) compared to Tribal Peoples (x˜=0.84ng/mL, p < 0.01), although we did not assess potential confounding variables.
Significance
Our analysis revealed mostly long-chain legacy PFAS with possibly different exposure risks for secluded interior communities compared to urban-coastal populations, indicating a need for contaminant source assessments. IMPACT: Our study adds to the growing literature around PFAS exposures for people living in remote areas. Suriname aims to reduce environmental contamination from persistent organic pollutants through the Stockholm Treaty. Our study provides data needed for policymakers and communities to make informed decisions about their environmental health.
The findings suggest that exposure to low levels of some alternative and precursor PFAS may be widespread in Canada and reinforce the role of pregnancy and breastfeeding as excretion pathways for legacy PFAS and support previous investigations demonstrating that exposure to some PFAS may be lower amongst financially disadvantaged populations.
M. Borghese, Rebecca Lelievre, Sara Packull-McCormick et al.· Environmental Health· 0 citations
Dietary exposure to mycotoxins—including aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), and citrinin (CIT)—represents an important health risk, particularly in low-resource settings with widespread food contamination. This study investigates mycotoxin exposure among 719 participants (433 women and 286 children) of a cluster-randomized trial in rural Bangladesh, using residual blood samples collected during the 2019 endline survey. A total of 712 whole blood and 578 serum samples were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Serum aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-lysine adducts were quantified following enzymatic digestion and solid-phase extraction. To evaluate potential health risks, we estimated probable daily intake (PDI) from blood concentrations of frequently detected mycotoxins. All whole blood samples contained at least two mycotoxins, and 84% of participants were co-exposed to at least three mycotoxins. Biomarkers for the main blood-relevant mycotoxins were frequently detected, with OTA detected in 100% of whole blood samples and its isomer, 2′R-ochratoxin A (2′R-OTA), detected in 98%, CIT in 91%, and Enniatin B (EnB) in 92%, while AFB1-lysine—a biomarker of chronic exposure to the potent carcinogen AFB1—was detected in nearly one-quarter of women and 4% of children with serum samples. Beauvericin was detected in 6% of samples. The PDI of OTA exceeded health-based guidance values in 80% of women and 99% of children, while the PDI of CIT was of concern for 12% of women and 27% of children. These findings demonstrate widespread co-exposure to multiple mycotoxins, with OTA, CIT, and AFB1 posing notable risks, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions to protect vulnerable populations.
N. Kyei, B. Cramer, H. Humpf et al.· Environmental Health· 0 citations
Although PFAA precursors predominated in indoor air, PFAAs accounted for the largest share of estimated inhalation exposure under the high-exposure scenario, highlighting the importance of considering both PFAA precursors and PFAS in comprehensive exposure assessments.
Georges Hatem, A. M. Faria, Carla Costa et al.· Environmental Research· 0 citations
Despite extensive research on the environmental contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), their occurrence across diverse indoor microenvironments remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, we analyzed a broad spectrum of PFAS in dust samples collected from residential settings (n = 14) and six types of public environments in South China between July and September 2022, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Of the 35 target compounds, 19 PFAS were detected with detection frequencies exceeding 50%. Ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their precursors emerged as the dominant species, with concentrations substantially higher than those of legacy compounds such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFAS concentrations varied by microenvironment, with offices exhibiting the highest levels (median 516 ng/g), likely attributable to the widespread use of PFAS-containing materials and confined space. Estimated exposure via dust ingestion revealed that toddlers experienced the highest intake (0.692 ng/kg/day) among all age groups in household environments, due to greater dust ingestion rates. Our study highlights the widespread occurrence of emerging PFAS, including ultrashort- and short-chain PFAAs and PFAA precursors, in indoor environments in South China and emphasizes the importance of ongoing surveillance and regulatory measures for these substances.
Yu-Ge Liang, Xiaoyuan Guo, Chenglin Liu et al.· Environmental Pollution· 0 citations
We investigated the presence of metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Hg) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from the White Oak River Basin (WORB), a sparsely populated coastal watershed in North Carolina, USA. We compared wild and farmed oysters to evaluate whether their positions within the water column influenced contaminant accumulation. Consumption risk was also assessed based on meal size, toxicological guidance values, and individual physiological parameters. Metals and PFAS were consistently detected in oysters across the WORB but generally occurred at low concentrations. Spatial patterns suggest that metal concentrations may be largely influenced by geogenic or background sources, whereas PFAS contamination may originate primarily from nonpoint sources. Despite low contaminant concentrations, estimated consumption risk varied among analytes, with substantial uncertainty associated with current toxicological and regulatory guidance. These findings improve understanding of contaminant fate and bioaccumulation in a coastal system with limited anthropogenic land use and provide a framework for evaluating bivalve consumption risk that incorporates contaminant-specific toxicity and individual physiological characteristics.
Caroline Z. Rudd, Marzieh Shojaei, Nelson A. Rivera et al.· ACS ES&T water· 0 citations
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have attracted attention because of their persistence and widespread occurrence in indoor environments. This study investigated the occurrence, distribution, and exposure risks of PFAS in indoor dust from different university environments. The associations between indoor dust and hair PFAS concentrations were explored. The average ∑PFAS concentration in dust from unrenovated dormitories (Type Ⅱ, 126.61 ng/g) exceeded that in renovated dormitories (Types Ⅰ and Ⅲ, 63.81 and 54.65 ng/g, respectively). Hair samples from students across all three dormitory types showed PFAS accumulation, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as the dominant compound (75.46%, average: 1.15 ng/g). PFAS burdens in hair varied markedly across dormitory types, with average ∑PFAS concentrations of 4.67 ng/g for Type Ⅰ (renovated), 1.00 ng/g for Type Ⅲ (renovated), and 0.49 ng/g for Type Ⅱ (unrenovated). Significant positive correlations between ∑PFAS concentrations in dust and hair (r = 0.77, p < 0.01) suggest that indoor dust may represent a potential contributor to PFAS accumulation in human hair, highlighting the potential of hair as a non-invasive biomonitoring matrix for long-term PFAS exposure. Although the estimated exposure risks were relatively low, the widespread occurrence of PFAS highlights indoor environments as a potential source of chronic human exposure.
Yuan-Hang Zhang, Shunzhe Wei, Wanru Yang et al.· Journal of Hazardous Materia...· 0 citations
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