Trophodynamics of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Food Web of a Large Atlantic Slope River
By Tiffany N Penland, W Gregory Cope, Thomas J Kwak, Mark J Strynar, Casey A Grieshaber, Ryan J Heise, and Forrest W Sessions
Environ. Sci. Technol.
May 5, 2020
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05007
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted scientific and regulatory attention due to their persistence, bioaccumulative potential, toxicity, and global distribution. We determined the accumulation and trophic transfer of 14 PFASs within the food web of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River of North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. Food web components and pathways were determined by stable isotope analyses of producers, consumers, and organic matter. Analyses of water, sediment, organic matter, and aquatic biota revealed that PFASs were prevalent in all food web compartments, with most detections and greatest concentrations in aquatic insects. All 14 PFASs were detected in individual aquatic insect samples (range, < limit of detection [
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