Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in marine biota of the Belgian North Sea and their potential risk for human consumption
Byns, C. (2019). Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in marine biota of the Belgian North Sea and their potential risk for human consumption. MSc Thesis. Universiteit Antwerpen/Ghent University/VUB: Antwerpen, Ghent, Brussel. 40 + appendix pp.
Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent chemicals ubiquitously occurrent in the environment. Biomonitoring of PFAS in wildlife is of critical importance due to their bioaccumulation potential and toxicological effects. Although PFAS contamination in marine environments have been studied worldwide, little is known about the PFAS occurrence in marine biota of the southern North Sea. In the present study, we examined the distribution of PFAS in seven fish species, collected at 10 locations, representing a gradient from the Western Scheldt estuary along the Belgian coast and towards the Belgian North Sea. Additionally, the possible risk to human health by consumption of the sampled fish species was determined. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was found to be predominant in muscle and liver tissue of fish, with respectively higher concentrations in liver tissue. Mean concentrations of PFOS ranged from
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