Abstract

Lake Tana is Ethiopia's largest lake and there are plans to increase the harvest of fish from the lake. The objective of this study was to assess the levels of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in different compartments of the lake (water, sediment, and fish muscle tissue), and its implications for human exposure. The results showed higher PFAS concentrations in piscivorous fish species (Labeobarbus mega-stoma and Labeobarbus gorguari) than non-piscivorous species (Labeobarbus intermedius, Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus) and also spatial distribution similarities. The Sigma PFAS concentrations ranged from 0.073 to 5.6 ng L-1 (on average, 2.9 ng L-1) in surface water, 0.22-0.55 ng g(-1) dry weight (dw) (on average, 0.30 ng g(-1) dw) in surface sediment, and non-detected to 5.8 ng g(-1) wet weight (ww) (on average, 1.2 ng g(-1) ww) in all fish species. The relative risk (RR) indicates that the consumption of fish contaminated with perfiuorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) will likely not cause any harmful effects for the Ethiopian fish eating population. However, mixture toxicity of the sum of PFASs, individual fish consumption patterns and increasing fish consumption are important factors to consider in future risk assessments. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs); Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS); Spatial distribution; Human risk; Bioconcentration factors (BCF); Sediment/water partition coefficient (K-d)

Published in

Chemosphere
2016, Volume: 165, pages: 352-357
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Ahrens, Lutz

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Sjöholm, Margareta

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Bishop, Kevin

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Uppsala University

• Åkerblom, Staffan

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

Non-toxic environment
Lakes and watercourses


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
SDG14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
SDG3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Environmental Management
Other Biological Topics


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.09.007

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/81230