An Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Great Lakes Fish

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment
Oral Presentation

Prepared by J. Healey1, H. McCarty2, B. Snyder3, E. Leppo3, T. Cohen3
1 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, M/C 4305-T, Washington, DC, 20460, United States
2 - General Dynamics Information Technology, 3170 Fairview Park Drive, 4th floor, Falls Church, VA, 22003, United States
3 - Tetra Tech, 10711 Red Run Blvd., Suite 105, Owings Mills, MD, 21117, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 202-566-0176

ABSTRACT

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, toxic compounds widely dispersed in the environment. Human exposure to PFAS can occur through food and water consumption, among other sources. Of particular interest is the level of certain PFAS found in fish that people may consume. Studies show that increased PFAS exposure may lead to health risks affecting developmental, reproductive, and immune functions. Recognizing these potential impacts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a series of studies of PFAS in Great Lakes fish using an unequal probability design. Sampling sites were randomly selected within the U.S portion of the nearshore zone of the five Great Lakes (defined as the region within 5 kilometers from the shore or no deeper than 30 meters). Composite samples of commonly consumed fish species were collected from over 150 U.S. nearshore locations for studies completed in 2010, 2015, and 2020. Fillet composite samples were analyzed for PFAS, revealing the presence of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in all samples, in addition to four long-chain carboxylates — perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnA) and perfluorododecanoate (PFDoA) — detected in more than two-thirds of the samples. Results of these studies will be presented, including fillet tissue contaminant levels and changes over time, cooccurrence of multiple contaminants in fillet tissue samples, and contaminant distributions throughout the Great Lakes.

The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.