环境中的全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质(PFAS)对人类和野生生物的健康构成持续和复杂的威胁。在世界各地,诸如军事基地之类的PFAS点源暴露了成千上万的野生动植物和野味物种,对人口和生态系统健康具有潜在的深远影响。但很少有研究揭示PFAS渗透食物网的程度,特别是生态和分类学上不同的初级和次级消费者社区。在这里,我们进行了>2000年的测定,以测量霍洛曼空军基地(AFB)23种哺乳动物和候鸟中17种PFAS的组织浓度,新墨西哥州,美国,废水集水湖形成生物多样性绿洲。PFAS浓度是动物组织中报告的最高浓度之一,高水平已经持续了至少三十年。在HollomanAFB采样的23种物种中有20种受到严重污染,代表中等营养水平和湿地到沙漠微生境,涉及PFAS吸收的途径:摄入地表水,沉积物,和土壤;在水生无脊椎动物和植物上觅食;捕食鸟类或哺乳动物。危险的长碳链形式,全氟辛磺酸(PFOS),是最丰富的,在鸟类和哺乳动物中,肝脏浓度平均>10,000ng/g湿重(ww),分别,在1994年的样本中达到97,000纳克/克ww。全氟己磺酸(PFHxS)在水生鸟类和沿海区家鼠的肝脏中平均为数千ng/gww,但是高地沙漠啮齿动物的肝脏要低一个数量级。双目动物和高地沙漠鸣鸟相对未受污染。在控制地点,PFAS水平平均显著较低并且在组成上不同。总之,几十年来,这片沙漠绿洲的传统PFAS已经渗透到当地的水生和陆地食物网,严重污染居民和移民动物的种群,并通过游戏肉类消费和户外娱乐来暴露人们。
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment pose persistent and complex threats to human and wildlife health. Around the world, PFAS point sources such as military bases expose thousands of populations of wildlife and game species, with potentially far-reaching implications for population and ecosystem health. But few studies shed light on the extent to which PFAS permeate food webs, particularly ecologically and taxonomically diverse communities of primary and secondary consumers. Here we conducted >2000 assays to measure tissue-concentrations of 17 PFAS in 23 species of mammals and migratory birds at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, USA, where wastewater catchment lakes form biodiverse oases. PFAS concentrations were among the highest reported in animal tissues, and high levels have persisted for at least three decades. Twenty of 23 species sampled at Holloman AFB were heavily contaminated, representing middle trophic levels and wetland to desert microhabitats, implicating pathways for PFAS uptake: ingestion of surface water, sediments, and soil; foraging on aquatic invertebrates and plants; and preying upon birds or mammals. The hazardous long carbon-chain form, perfluorooctanosulfonic acid (PFOS), was most abundant, with liver concentrations averaging >10,000 ng/g wet weight (ww) in birds and mammals, respectively, and reaching as high 97,000 ng/g ww in a 1994 specimen. Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) averaged thousands of ng/g ww in the livers of aquatic birds and littoral-zone house mice, but one order of magnitude lower in the livers of upland desert rodent species. Piscivores and upland desert songbirds were relatively uncontaminated. At control sites, PFAS levels were strikingly lower on average and different in composition. In sum, legacy PFAS at this desert oasis have permeated local aquatic and terrestrial food webs across decades, severely contaminating populations of resident and migrant animals, and exposing people via game meat consumption and outdoor recreation.