No description available.

<p>Per-and  polyfluoroalkyl  substances  (PFAS)  are  a  large  group  of  emerging  contaminants  that include astrong carbon-flourine bond that makes the compounds resistant to physical, chemical and  biological  degradation.  They  are  found  in  drinking  water  supplies,  daily  human  products, manufacturing  facilities,  and  in  areas  where  aqueous  film-forming  foam  (AFFF)was  used  to extinguish fires. Toxicity levels of these chemicals can vary depending on the characteristics of the specific chemical; longer carbon chain has shown to be more bioaccumulative and toxic than shorter chain length PFAS. Many studies have recognized perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to be a substantial concern due to their known toxicity to wildlife. For example, studies show strong evidence that PFOA and PFOS suppress the antibody response from animals. Due to adverse health effects and public concern, the U.S stopped perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) manufacturing and switched to the production of an alternative fluorinated compound known  as  hexafluoropropylene  oxide  (HFPO)  dimer  acid  or  GenX,  which  is  thought  to  beless bioaccumulative and therefore, potentially less toxic. These anthropogenic pollutants are one of many stressors acting on aquatic organisms like anurans. Natural stressors such as the devastating fungal  pathogen Batrachocytrium  dendrobatidis(Bd)  is  another  stressor  impacting  amphibian populations.  Despite the co-occurrence of these stressors, no studies have examined interactive effects of the fungal pathogen Bd and PFAS, or whether PFAS effects carry over into the terrestrial environment aftera larvae  exposure. This study  tested the growth and developmental effects of PFOS, PFOA, and GenX, on gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles, followed by a Bd challenge in metamorphs. Our results demonstrate that a PFAS larval exposure interacted witha terrestrial Bdchallenge to influence growth and development. Bdexposed animals were significantly shorter (smaller snout vent length)  and had a significant increase in body condition and mass. This is the first study to report effects on amphibian terrestrial life stages after larval exposure to PFAS and to report an increased sensitivity to Bd. The environmentally relevant concentrations tested in this study  (<10  parts  per  billion)  lend  ecological  significance  to  these  results  however,  additional studies are needed to understand the mechanisms behind these effects.</p>

abstract: Humans are exposed up to thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, but most of the research and action has been directed towards only two PFAS compounds. These two compounds are part of a subcategory of PFAS called perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). It has been a challenge for the environmental community to mitigate risks caused by PFAAs due to their high persistence and lack of effective measures to remove them from the environment, especially in heavily impacted areas like fire-training sites. The goal of this work was to further answer some questions regarding the removal of PFAAs in the environment by looking at anion exchange resin characteristics and presence of a competing compound, natural organic matter (NOM), in the adsorption of environmentally relevant PFAS compounds including the two often monitored 8-carbon chain PFAAs. Two different resins were tested with two forms of counterions, in both groundwater and NOM impacted groundwater. Resin polymer matrix was the most important property in the adsorption of PFAAs, the two resins used A520E and A860 had similar properties except for their matrices polystyrene (PS) and polyacrylic (PA), respectively. The PS base is most effective at PFAAs adsorption, while the PA is most effective at NOM adsorption. The change in the counterion did not negatively affect the adsorption of PFAAs and is, therefore, a viable alternative for future studies that include regeneration and destruction of PFAAs. The presence of NOM also did not significantly affect the adsorption of PFAAs in the PS resin A520E, although for some PFAAs compounds it did affect adsorption for the PA resin. Ultimately, PS macroporous resins with a strong Type I or Type II base work best in PFAAs removal. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2019

SÖRAB:s återvinningsanläggning (ÅVA) i Hagby hanterar olika typer av avfall som t.ex. bygg- och rivningsavfall, textilier, grovavfall från hushåll, trädgårds-, elavfall samt farligt avfall. Vatten från behandlings- och lagringsytorna samlas upp, provtas och renas i anläggningens vattenreningsanläggning. Vid provtagning av processvattnet på anläggningen har poly- och perfluorerade alkylsubstanser (PFAS) påträffats. PFAS är ett samlingsnamn för flertalet syntetiskt tillverkade kemikalier och idag finns fler än 3000 olika PFAS-ämnen på världsmarknaden. PFAS har använts under många år i bl.a. brandsläckningsskum, impregneringsmedel samt vid tillverkning av teflon. Ämnena har tillverkats sedan 1950-talet men först under 00-talet uppmärksammades den miljöpåverkan som PFAS har. Syftet med projektresultatet är att förhindra eller reducera risken för ytterligare utsläpp av PFAS från föroreningskällan/föroreningskällorna. Målet var att undersöka och kartlägga vilka ytor/verksamheter som ger eller har gett upphov till PFAS i processvattnet samt ta fram förslag för hur föroreningskällan kan åtgärdas alternativt föreslå metoder för rening av slam och/eller vatten. Provtagning genomfördes på Hagby ÅVA genom stickprov i sju olika provpunkter under tre provomgångar med tre veckors mellanrum. Samtliga provpunkter vid samtliga provtagningar innehöll PFAS. Högsta halterna PFAS som påträffades i Hagby återvinningsanläggnings (ÅVA) processvatten synes i denna undersökning komma från de ytor där grovavfall, bygg- och rivningsavfall samt elektronikavfall sorteras och lagras. Då flödet på avrinningen från dessa ytor inte går att mäta på ett tillförlitligt sätt är det svårt att veta vilken yta som bidrar med störst mängd PFAS till vattenreningssystemet. Viss mängd PFAS kommer från vallen för inneslutna avfallsmassor som PFAS-halter från provpunkten visar. PFAS-halterna var konstanta vid samtliga provtagningar. Fortsatt kontroll av provpunkten behövs för att kontrollera att PFAS-halterna inte stiger, om så är fallet får vidare utredning av området genomföras. Förslag till åtgärd är att börja med att utreda hur bra reningsanläggningen, inklusive kolfiltret, på Hagby klarar av att rena PFAS från processvattnet. Frågor som behöver besvaras är hur mycket som släpps ut till recipienten och om PFAS/PFOS-halterna klarar riktvärdena. Ett annat förslag är även att slamsuga där det är möjligt samt undersöka om enskilda PFAS-källor kan identifieras och elimineras från ytorna. Metoder som anses lämpliga för rening av PFAS på Hagby är förslagsvis aktivt kol med ett ytterligare förfiltersteg med antracit eller sand för att förebygga igensättning av det befintliga kolfiltret på anläggningen. Förslag är att kontakta de anläggningar som använt sig av kombination av förfiltrering med antracit och kolfilter för att få information om erfarenheter av metoden, hur mycket PFAS-halter lyckats reduceras och kostnader för processen. En annan lämplig metod som har höga reningsgrader är jonbytarteknik (IEX). Försök behöver utföras specifikt för processvattnet på Hagby eftersom inga studier om rening av PFAS i vatten från ÅVA hittats i litteraturen. Nanofiltrering och omvänd osmos har hög effektivitet vid separering av PFAS. Nackdelen är att filtreringen inte är selektiv och att membranen riskerar att sättas igen vid behandling av processvattnet på Hagby ÅVA på grund av flera olika ämnen i vattnet. Fler metoder för behandling av PFAS är lovande som t.ex. elektrokemisk oxidation, biologisk behandling med kiselalger, plasmabehandling, ozonbehandling men är komplexa, dyra och behöver utvecklas samt effektiviseras för en möjlig uppskalning. / SÖRAB's recycling plant in Hagby handles various types of waste such as textiles, garden, electrical and hazardous waste. Water from the surfaces is collected, tested and purified in the plant's water treatment plant. When sampling the process water at the plant, poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been found. PFAS is a collective name for the majority of synthetically manufactured chemicals and today there are more than 3000 different PFAS substances in the world market. PFAS has been used for many years in for example fire extinguishing foam, impregnating agents and in the manufacture of Teflon. The substances have been manufactured since the 1950s but the environmental impact of PFAS was first noticed in the 2000s. The purpose of the project result is to prevent or reduce the risk of further emissions of PFAS from the source of pollution/ pollutions. The aim was to investigate and map out the areas/ activities that give or have given rise to PFAS in the process water and to make proposals for how the source of pollution can be treated or to propose methods for the purification of sludge and/ or water. Sampling was carried out at Hagby recycling plant by sampling at seven different test points during three test runs at three-week intervals. All test points for all three sampling test runs contained PFAS. The highest levels of PFAS found in the process water of Hagby recycling plant appear in this study to come from the areas where construction, demolition and electronic waste are sorted and stored. Since the flow of the drainage from these surfaces cannot be measured reliably, it is difficult to know which surface contributes the greatest amount of PFAS to the water purification system. A certain amount of PFAS comes from the embankment for enclosed waste masses, as levels of PFAS from the test point show. Levels of PFAS were constant for all samples. Continued monitoring of the test point is needed to check that the levels of PFAS don not rise, if this is the case, further investigation of the area may be carried out Proposed action is to investigate how effective the treatment plant, including the carbon filter, at Hagby is to remove PFAS from the process water. Questions that need to be answered are how much is emitted to the recipient and whether levels of PFAS/PFOS can meet the guideline values. Another suggestion is also to remove sludge wherever possible and to investigate whether individual sources of PFAS can be identified and eliminated from the surfaces. Methods considered suitable for the purification of PFAS at Hagby recycling plant are activated carbon with an additional pre-filter step with anthracite or sand to prevent fouling of the existing carbon filter at the plant. Suggestion is to contact the plants that are using the combination of pre-filtration with anthracite and carbon filters to obtain information on the experience of the method, PFAS levels that have been successfully treated and costs for the process. Another suitable method is ion exchange technology (IEX). Experiments need to be carried out specifically for the process water at Hagby as no studies on purification of PFAS with water from recycling plants have been found in the literature. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis have high efficiency in separating PFAS. The disadvantage is that the filtration is not selective and that the membranes run risk of fouling when treating the process water at Hagby recycling plant due to several different substances in the water. Several methods for treating PFAS are promising, e.g. electrochemical oxidation, biological treatment with silica algae, plasma treatment, ozone treatment but the methods are complex, expensive and need to be developed and made more efficient for a possible application in full scale.

The human gut microbiota plays a crucial role in human health and therefore imbalances in gut microbiota functioning can lead to the development of metabolic disorders. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites, bile acids (BA) and other metabolites are the essential compounds for the metabolome. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that can be absorbed onto the lumen by food. Since many PFAS has shown to possess a long list of adverse effects on human health, the short term impact of PFAS on gut microbiota functioning using an in vitro model that mimics fermentation in the human colon was explored. Samples obtained from in vitro fecal fermentation were then analysed through high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-qToF-MS) using targeted and non-targeted approaches. Fecal samples were donated by four donors which were put through a fermentation over 24 hours and treated with no PFAS mixture (control), low concentration mixture of PFAS (PFAS-L) and high concentration mixture of PFAS (PFAS-H). The PFAS mixture contained perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA). For the fermentation, samples were collected after 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hours. The samples were spun down and the supernatant was collected. Two approaches were applied to explore the metabolism in the fermentation extracts: The first one was a “targeted SCFA and TCA cycle metabolites analysis’’ and the second one was “untargeted analysis of polar and nonpolar metabolites’’. Results show that all TCA cycle metabolites displayed different trends with the compound and little to no variation between the treatments. However, although there was no significant difference, 4 core compounds of the TCA metabolism were lower after treatment with PFAS-L or PFAS-H. For the untargeted method, 78 of 2855 compounds were identified. When comparing control samples, PFAS-H and PFAS-L, 200 features showed statistically significant differences. Most of these had higher concentrations for PFAS-treated samples. When PFAS-H was compared only with PFAS-L, 30 features were found to be statistically significant, indicating that distinct concentrations of PFAS differentially affect gut microbiota metabolism. For future identification, further analysis must be done, preferably with MS/MS, to obtain more structural information for these significant metabolites, since the masses of the fraction ions are needed to narrow down the search in databases used to obtain the identity of an ion. PFAS and the concentration seem to have an impact on the gut microbiota, the study should be done with additional donors to archive trends applicable to a whole population.

No description available.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are known spreaders of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the environment. Luleå University of Technology is conducting a yearlong study in which PFAS concentrations in the different treatment steps are measured at Uddebo treatment plant. This report covers the first four months of the year-long study. The aims of this study are to see what happens with the PFAS concentrations in the treatment processes, if they are above regulated limits, and to see if concentrations at Uddebo are comparable toreference concentrations in Sweden. Sampled PFAS concentrations were taken once per fortnight in incoming wastewater, after primary sedimentation, after Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), after secondary sedimentation and after the pilot treatment plant containing granulated active carbon (GAC) filter when it was in use. Precursors in incoming wastewater and PFAS in sludge were measured in samples taken once per month. Comparing the 33 analysed PFAS in wastewater at each sampling point, 30 analysed precursors for PFAS in incoming wastewater and 30 analysed PFAS in sludge, only PFOS and PFOA wereregularly found in both wastewater and in outgoing sludge. This indicates a separation of PFAS in the different medium, with sludge having PFAS where the perfluorinated carbon chain length is grater than 6. Out of the analysed 33 PFAS in wastewater PFOA had the highest median concentration of about 7 ng/l with no significant variation between the wastewater sample points. Similarly, the median concentration of total detected 33 PFAS was around 35 ng/l with no significant variation between the wastewater sample points, indicating no significant treatment of measured PFAS during WWTP. This was also comparable to other WWTP in Sweden. PFBA, PFHxA and PFPeA precursors had the highest concentration of the measured 30 PFAS precursors, however, except for one sampling occasion, no significant deviation in precursor PFAS could be detected during the sampling period. Out of the 30 analysed PFAS in outgoing sludge, PFOS had the highest concentration of 6.8 μg/kg dry weight (dw), but no discernible pattern could be identified between sampling dates due to too few samples. PFOS was foundabove the recommended concentration for sensitive land use (3.0 μg/kg dw), but still within recommendations for less sensitive land use (20.0 μg/kg dw) in Sweden. The median concentration of 13.6 μg/kg dw measured PFAS in sludge makes it well below median Swedish concentration. However, all comparisons to other Swedish WWTPs and background concentrations in Sweden were based on a few studies with few samples, potentially increasing or decreasing the median concentration as more research is conducted.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of bioaccumulative toxicants used in numerous industrial and commercial products. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) alters pancreatic organogenesis during development, and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) has been suggested as a replacement for PFOS due to its shorter carbon chain, but they are often found together in surfactants, such as legacy aqueous film-forming foam. This study investigates how developmental exposures to a PFAS mixture (PFHxS + PFOS) impact the developing exocrine pancreas. Zebrafish embryos (Tg(ptf1a:GFP)) were exposed to 0.01% DMSO, or 8, 16, 32 μM PFHxS alone, 16 μM PFOS alone, and 8, 16, and 32 μM PFHxS plus 16 μM PFOS. Embryos underwent refreshing exposures (3 hours post fertilization (hpf) - 96 hpf) or static exposures (3, 24, 48, or 72 hpf - 96 hpf) and then live imaging to quantify the truncated exocrine pancreas phenotype that occurred, and at what point in development it became apparent. PFAS mixtures significantly impacted growth parameters and exocrine pancreas length. The truncated pancreas phenotype was seen most often in the 16 μM PFHxS + 16 μM PFOS treatment group, so this concentration was used for subsequent experiments. Time lapse imaging (58 - 72 hpf, 80 - 96 hpf) and cellular proliferation assays (3 - 96 hpf) were used to ascertain the cause of the truncated phenotype as an issue of cellular migration or proliferation within the pancreas. Cell migration and proliferation were decreased in response to toxicant exposure. This study offers insights to how developmental exposures to toxicants may impact the pancreas.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known for their persistence as well as their hydrophobic and lipophobic nature. Widespread use has led to increasing prevalence of PFAS in the environment. Due to PFAS:s extensive spread and adverse health effects, remediation of PFAS-contaminated areas has increased in recent years, resulting in an increased demand for disposal of contaminated soil. To dispose waste at landfills in Sweden, certain criteria need to be met. However, for PFAS there are no specific guidelines and landfills therefore decide their own acceptance criteria. This can lead to varying requirements, potentially causing environmentally hazardous practices. The aim of this study was to survey the requirements applied by landfills, as well as investigate how different assessment bases affect the evaluation of PFAS-contaminated soil. The study was conducted both as a questionnaire sent to 80 landfills in Sweden, and as an analysis of test results from samples of PFAS- contaminated soil. The findings reveal varying information requirements, with common criteria including soil origin, presence of contaminants and analysis of PFAS when soil is suspected of contamination. Landfills also typically required documentation about the contaminated site, sampling plan and leachate tests when accepting PFAS-contaminated soil. Additionally, this study demonstrates that the evaluation of PFAS-contaminated soil can depend on the assessment basis used. The assessment based on toxic equivalents, may alter the risk valuation in comparison to those based on measured concentrations. To include commonly occurring PFAS, the analysis should include a minimum of PFAS11.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of substances that are used in a large variety of products because of their unique water and dirt repellent properties. The substances are extremely persistent and can spread over large distances in groundwater, surface water, and in the air, which makes them an environmental and a health concern. A significant pathway of PFAS into the environment is through wastewater, where the usage of consumer products containing PFAS contribute to the emissions. The project was performed by analysing data of PFAS concentrations in wastewater and sludge sampled continuously during 2022 at Uddebo wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Luleå municipality. The aim was to evaluate the composition of PFAS compounds and their concentrations in wastewater and sludge and compare with other municipalities, to analyse how PFAS concentrations change during the existing wastewater treatment process, and to suggest strategies for future treatment of PFAS in wastewater.  No significant change of the PFAS content in wastewater could be observed throughout the treatment process in Uddebo WWTP. Evaluation of the PFAS composition showed that PFOS was the most abundant substance in both water and sludge. Over the year some variations in the total PFAS concentration could be seen, which coincided with increased water flow during the snowmelt period and an operational disturbance at the treatment plant. The variations of the total PFAS concentrations in wastewater over the year were mainly caused by PFBA, PFOS and 6:2 FTS. Analysis of total oxidizable precursors in the wastewater showed that substances that can transform into more persistent PFAS are present in the incoming water to the plant to a large extent. The pilot plant designed for treatment of pharmaceuticals, including ozonation and a granular activated carbon filter, did not result in any separation of PFAS from the water. An assessment of the contribution of PFAS from landfill leachate showed that it constitutes a significant share of the total PFAS content in wastewater. Compared with the content of PFAS in other Swedish WWTPs the total concentrations in wastewater at Uddebo WWTP was among the highest of five compared municipalities, while Luleå had the lowest PFAS concentrations in sludge among two compared municipalities.  The comparison between municipalities was limited by large differences in sampling frequency and performed analyses between the municipalities. Standardised analyses, additional background information, and more detailed statistical analyses are necessary to be able to make this type of comparison more informative. The occurrence of PFOS, which have been globally banned since 2009, shows that restrictions of the usage of PFAS must be combined with treatment of contaminated media to reduce the concentrations of PFAS in the environment. Development of PFAS degradation techniques is vital to remove PFAS from circulation. The difficulties of treating large amounts of water with low concentrations motivates investigations concerning if treatment of smaller water flows with higher PFAS concentrations is a better alternative than implementing treatment of the total amount of water that reaches the WWTP.