Faculty Bibliography

Perchlorate is a widespread contaminant in aquatic environments. Despite this, the aquatic environmental fate of perchlorate released from fireworks displays is not well known. In the present study, we examined the fate of perchlorate in man-made reflecting ponds, from 2008 to 2010, following three fireworks displays in Albany, New York, USA. Immediately after the fireworks display, perchlorate in pond waters increased significantly, with concentrations from 30 to 1,480 times higher than the baseline values. Perchlorate concentrations in pond water increased from 0.11 µg/L to up to 519 µg/L, following the fireworks display in 2008. Perchlorate concentrations in pond water decreased at a first-order kinetic degradation rate, with a mean k(obs) value of 0.026 d⁻¹ and an average half-life of 29 d. The rate of perchlorate deposition into water bodies following fireworks displays was estimated to range from 670 to 2,620 g/ha. We also estimated the perchlorate ingestion rate by the inhalation of aerosols of pond water by people frequently near the ponds. The estimated daily intake of perchlorate through the ingestion of aerosols was 32% (226 ng/kg body wt), 13% (92 ng/kg body wt), and 6% (42 ng/kg body wt) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reference dose for infants, children, and adults, respectively.

Despite the growing public interest in perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), very few studies have reported the sources and pathways of human exposure to these compounds in China. In this study, concentrations of 10 PFCs were measured in human blood, water (tap water and surface water), freshwater fish, and seafood samples collected from China. On the basis of the data, we calculated daily intakes of PFCs, regional differences in human exposures, and potential risks associated with ingestion of PFCs from diet, drinking water, and indoor dust for the Chinese population. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the most predominant PFC found with a mean concentration of 12.5 ng/mL in human blood from Tianjin and 0.92 ng/g wet wt in freshwater fish and seafood; perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the major PFC found in drinking water at a concentration range of 0.10 to 0.92 ng/L. The estimated daily intake of PFOS and PFOA via fish and seafood consumption (EDI(fish&seafood)) ranged from 0.10 to 2.51 and 0.13 to 0.38 ng/kg bw/day, respectively, for different age groups (i.e., toddlers, adolescents and children, and adults) from selected locations (i.e., Tianjin, Nanchang, Wuhan, and Shenyang). The EDI(fish&seafood) of PFCs decreased (p < 0.05) with age. The estimated daily intake of PFOS and PFOA via drinking water consumption (EDI(drinking water)) ranged from 0.006 to 0.014 and 0.010 to 0.159 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. Comparison of EDI(fish&seafood) and EDI(drinking water) values with those of the modeled total dietary intake (TDI) of PFCs by adults from Tianjin, Nanchang, Wuhan, and Shenyang showed that contributions of fish and seafood to TDI of PFOS varied depending on the location. Fish and seafood accounted for 7%, 24%, 80%, and 84% of PFOS intake in Nanchang, Shenyang, Wuhan, and Tianjin, respectively, suggesting regional differences in human exposure to PFOS. Drinking water was a minor source of PFOS (<1%) exposure in adults from all the study locations.

BACKGROUND:Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been used widely in consumer products since the 1950s and are currently found at detectable levels in the blood of humans and animals across the globe. In stark contrast to this widespread exposure to PFCs, there is relatively little research on potential adverse health effects of exposure to these chemicals. OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:We performed this cross-sectional study to determine if specific blood PFC levels are associated with impaired response inhibition in children. METHODS:Blood levels of 11 PFCs were measured in children (N = 83) and 6 PFCs: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) - were found at detectable levels in most children (87.5% or greater had detectable levels). These levels were analyzed in relation to the differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) task. This task rewards delays between responses (i.e., longer inter-response times; IRTs) and therefore constitutes a measure of response inhibition. RESULTS:Higher levels of blood PFOS, PFNA, PFDA, PFHxS, and PFOSA were associated with significantly shorter IRTs during the DRL task. The magnitude of these associations was such that IRTs during the task decreased by 29-34% for every 1 SD increase in the corresponding blood PFC. CONCLUSIONS:This study suggests an association between PFC exposure and children's impulsivity. Although intriguing, there is a need for further investigation and replication with a larger sample of children.

The primary aim of this article is to provide an overview of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) detected in the environment, wildlife, and humans, and recommend clear, specific, and descriptive terminology, names, and acronyms for PFASs. The overarching objective is to unify and harmonize communication on PFASs by offering terminology for use by the global scientific, regulatory, and industrial communities. A particular emphasis is placed on long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids, substances related to the long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids, and substances intended as alternatives to the use of the long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids or their precursors. First, we define PFASs, classify them into various families, and recommend a pragmatic set of common names and acronyms for both the families and their individual members. Terminology related to fluorinated polymers is an important aspect of our classification. Second, we provide a brief description of the 2 main production processes, electrochemical fluorination and telomerization, used for introducing perfluoroalkyl moieties into organic compounds, and we specify the types of byproducts (isomers and homologues) likely to arise in these processes. Third, we show how the principal families of PFASs are interrelated as industrial, environmental, or metabolic precursors or transformation products of one another. We pay particular attention to those PFASs that have the potential to be converted, by abiotic or biotic environmental processes or by human metabolism, into long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic or sulfonic acids, which are currently the focus of regulatory action. The Supplemental Data lists 42 families and subfamilies of PFASs and 268 selected individual compounds, providing recommended names and acronyms, and structural formulas, as well as Chemical Abstracts Service registry numbers.

Distribution, characteristics, and global inventory of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins [PCDDs] and dibenzofurans [PCDFs] and dioxin like polychlorinated biphenyls) in kaolin clays collected from 10 countries were investigated. Dioxins were found in all kaolin clay samples analyzed, at total concentrations ranging from 1.2 pg/g (Brazil) to 520,000 pg/g (USA). Dioxin concentrations in kaolin clays from a few countries (e.g., Brazil and UK) were lower than those reported for background soils in Japan. Dioxin profiles in kaolin clays were characterized by the domination of the congener octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), and the concentrations of other congeners decreased in the order of reduction in the levels of chlorination. Furthermore, specific distribution of congeners, with predominant proportions of 1,4,6,9-substituted PCDDs within each homologue group, was found in most clay samples. The ratios of concentrations of PCDD to PCDF and 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD to 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD indicated differences in the profiles found for anthropogenic sources (including pentachlorophenol) and kaolin clays. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs in kaolin clays, except for American ball clays, did not exceed the environmental criteria set by the Law Concerning Special Measures against Dioxins in Japan. Based on the average concentrations measured in our study, inventories of PCDD/Fs from the production/usage of ball clays on a global scale were estimated to be 650 kg/yr; the corresponding value on a TEQ basis is 2400 g-TEQ/yr. More than 480 kg of OCDD is estimated to be released annually from the production of kaolin clays worldwide, suggesting that kaolin clays can be a major contributor for additional source of dioxins, especially OCDD, in the environment.

BACKGROUND:Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely produced endocrine-disrupting chemical. Diet is a primary route of exposure, but internal exposure (serum concentrations) in animals and humans has been measured only after single oral bolus administration. OBJECTIVE:We compared serum concentrations of BPA over a 24-hr period after oral bolus administration or ad libitum feeding in mice and assessed for buildup with dietary exposure. METHODS:Adult female mice were administered [dimethyl-d6]-BPA (BPA-d6) as a single oral bolus (20 mg/kg body weight) or fed a diet containing 100 mg BPA-d6/kg feed weight ad libitum for 1 week. Serum concentrations were analyzed using isotope dilution liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry and compared between exposure groups over the first 23 hr and after 7 days of dietary exposure. RESULTS:Maximum concentration (Cmax) for BPA-d6 during the first 24 hr was reached at 1 hr and 6 hr for oral bolus and diet groups, respectively. Relative BPA-d6 bioavailability (unconjugated BPA-d6) was higher in diet-exposed mice than in the bolus group despite a relative lower absorption, a phenomenon consistent with an inhibitory effect of food on first-pass hepatic metabolism. In mice with ongoing dietary exposure, unconjugated BPA-d6 was higher on day 7 than on day 1. CONCLUSIONS:This is the first report of serum BPA concentrations in an animal model exposed to this chemical via the diet. Although bolus administration of BPA-d6 led to peak concentrations within 1 hr, Cmax for diet-exposed mice was delayed for several hours. However, bolus administration underestimates bioavailable serum BPA concentrations in animals-and presumably humans-than would result from dietary exposure. Exposure via diet is a more natural continuous exposure route than oral bolus exposure and is thus a better predictor of BPA concentrations in chronically exposed animals and humans.

The sources of human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) are not well characterized. Little is known about the presence of BPA in paper products, especially in paper currencies, and its implications for human exposure. In this work, paper currencies from 21 countries (N = 156) were analyzed for BPA, which was measured in 19 mm punches taken from three spots on the paper currencies. BPA was found in all paper currencies at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 82.7 μg/g (mean 4.94; median 1.02) and the concentrations in samples taken from the middle portion of the currencies were higher than those taken from peripheral portions. We also examined the transfer of BPA from thermal receipt paper to currencies by placing currencies in contact with thermal receipt papers for 24 h in a wallet. Concentrations of BPA dramatically increased after 24 h of contact with thermal receipt papers, suggesting that thermal receipt paper is an important source of BPA in paper currencies. The estimated daily intake of BPA through dermal absorption from handling paper currencies was on the order of a few nanograms per day.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Due to the potential of this compound to disrupt normal endocrinal functions, concerns over human exposure to BPA have been raised. Although several studies have reported human exposure to BPA in Western nations, little is known about exposure in Asian countries. In this study, we determined total urinary BPA concentrations (free plus conjugated) in 296 urine samples (male/female: 153/143) collected from the general population in seven Asian countries, China, India, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Vietnam, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). On the basis of urinary BPA concentrations, we estimated the total daily intake. The results indicated that BPA was detected in 94.3% of the samples analyzed, at concentrations ranging from <0.1 to 30.1 ng/mL. The geometric mean concentration of BPA for the entire sample set from seven countries was 1.20 ng/mL. The highest concentration of BPA was found in samples from Kuwait (median: 3.05 ng/mL, 2.45 μg/g creatinine), followed by Korea (2.17 ng/mL, 2.40 μg/g), India (1.71 ng/mL, 2.09 μg/g), Vietnam (1.18 ng/mL, 1.15 μg/g), China (1.10 ng/mL, 1.38 μg/g), Malaysia (1.06 ng/mL, 2.31 μg/g), and Japan (0.95 ng/mL, 0.58 μg/g). Among the five age groups studied (≤ 19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, and ≥ 50 years), the highest median concentration of BPA was found in urine samples from the age group of ≤ 19 years. There was no significant difference in BPA concentrations between genders (male and female) or domicile of residence (rural and urban). The estimated median daily intakes of BPA for the populations in Kuwait, Korea, India, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan were 5.19, 3.69, 2.90, 2.13, 2.01, 1.80, and 1.61 μg/day, respectively. The estimated daily intake of BPA in the seven Asian countries was significantly lower than the tolerable daily intake recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the first study to document the occurrence of and human exposure to BPA in several Asian countries.

A statistically robust method was applied to 83 time-series of mercury in Arctic biota from marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems with the purpose of generating a 'meta-analysis' of temporal trend data collected over the past two to three decades, mostly under the auspices of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). Sampling locations ranged from Alaska in the west to northern Scandinavia in the east. Information from recently published temporal trend studies was tabulated to supplement the results of the statistical analyses. No generally consistent trend was evident across tissues and species from the circumpolar Arctic during the last 30years or so. However, there was a clear west-to-east gradient in the occurrence of recent increasing Hg trends, with larger numbers and a higher proportion of biotic datasets in the Canadian and Greenland region of the Arctic showing significant increases than in the North Atlantic Arctic. Most of the increasing datasets were for marine species, especially marine mammals. A total of 16 (19%) out of the 83 time-series could be classified as "adequate", where adequate is defined as the number of actual monitoring years in a time-series being equal to or greater than the number of years of sampling required to detect a 5% annual change in Hg concentrations, with a significance level of P<0.05 and 80% statistical power. At the time of the previous AMAP Assessment, only 10% of the Hg time-series were deemed adequate. If an additional 5years of data were to be added to the current set of time-series, it is predicted that 53% of time-series would become adequate.

Perchlorate is known to competitively interfere with iodide uptake by the thyroid gland and thereby human exposure to perchlorate is a public health concern. Prevalence of perchlorate in dairy milk is documented; nevertheless, co-occurrence of perchlorate with other thyroid-binding monovalent ions such as iodide and nitrate is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed perchlorate, iodide, and nitrate-N in dairy milk, water and other dairy-related samples collected from Japan and Sri Lanka. Concentrations of perchlorate in Japanese dairy milk samples ranged from 1.03 to 14.1 ng ml(-1); the corresponding concentrations in dairy milk and powdered milk from Sri Lanka were 1.14-38.5 ng ml(-1). Perchlorate concentrations in commercial milk were significantly higher in Japan than in Sri Lanka, while iodide and nitrate levels in milk between the two countries were comparable. All three ions were ubiquitously found in water samples from Japan and Sri Lanka. Analysis of colostrum and raw milk collected from cows fed with the same feed for over 30 days showed no significant temporal variations in perchlorate, iodide and nitrate-N concentrations. A significant positive correlation was found between the concentrations of perchlorate and iodide in Japanese commercial milk. The concentrations of perchlorate and nitrate-N in water samples analyzed from both countries also showed a significant positive correlation. The exposure estimation revealed that dairy milk provides a greater source for perchlorate and iodide, while water predominantly contributes nitrate-N intake for all age groups in both counties. Infants and children demonstrated the highest estimated perchlorate, iodide and nitrate-N intake on a body weight basis in comparison to other age groups. Therefore, further studies of risk associated with perchlorate may need to reconsider co-existence of iodine and other iodide transport inhibitors in food.