Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of highly fluorinated synthetic organic compounds that have become ubiquitous water pollutants due to their remarkable environmental persistence. More information on bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and biological effects of PFASs is rapidly needed to understand health risks posed by widespread, long-term aqueous firefighting foam (AFFF) contamination of drinking water. Three public water systems (Fountain, Widefield, and Security) in El Paso County, Colorado were found to be contaminated with PFASs from AFFF above the EPA health advisory level of 70 ng/L between 2013 and 2016, with contamination likely beginning before 2013. In this study, water and human blood samples from throughout this region collected from April to June, 2018 were analyzed via nontarget analysis to better understand the extent of PFAS contamination in human blood resulting from this exposure. Drinking water samples were collected from 10 private and 29 public wells throughout the region. Blood samples were collected from a cohort of 200 individuals living in the area. Samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled to a SCIEX X500R quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-QToF-MS) in SWATH® data-independent acquisition mode. Quantitative data were obtained for 45 PFASs for which analytical standards were available. Data were also screened for &gt;1000 previously characterized and theoretical PFASs using a high-resolution mass spectral (HRMS) library and an extensive extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) list maintained in the Higgins laboratory. C3-C8 perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) and C6-C8 perfluoroalkanoic acids (PFCAs) were frequently detected in raw drinking water samples at concentrations exceeding 70 ng/L. Suspect screening of water samples using HRMS libraries tentatively revealed the presence of keto-substituted and cyclic/unsaturated PFSAs as well as sulfonamide precursors. Preliminary analysis of human serum samples suggests that C5-C8 sulfonates are prominent and ubiquitous in blood from residents. Suspect screening suggests the presence of additional PFASs, such as unsaturated and oxy-PFSAs. Relationships between composition and concentration of PFASs in drinking water and human blood will be discussed, along with identifying possible fluorinated products of PFAS metabolism.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water and human blood from a Colorado community impacted by aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) contamination: The PFAS-AWARE Study

2019 Spring National Meeting

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