A Bad Start in Life? Maternal Transfer of Legacy and Emerging Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances to Eggs in an Arctic Seabird

• Main Authors: William Jouanneau (8655468), Don-Jean Léandri-Breton (11805127), Alexandre Corbeau (7423424), Dorte Herzke (472403), Børge Moe (414217), Vladimir A. Nikiforov (11805130), Geir W. Gabrielsen (380052), Olivier Chastel (288198)
• Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Microbiology; Biotechnology; Ecology; Inorganic Chemistry; Science Policy; Infectious Diseases; Virology; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified; notably found 7; mean ∑< sub; major exposure route; chain carboxylates ; avian development physiology; alternative fluorinated compounds; pfas </ sub; first documented finding; emerging fluorinated compounds; different pfas compounds; maternal transfer ratios; emerging compounds; emerging pfas; maternal transfers; maternal transfer; emerging poly; pfas ); several contaminants; present study; prelaying black; preferentially transferred; perfluoroalkyl substances; linear association; including poly; including gen; experimental studies; egg yolks; detection limit; contaminant levels; biological variables; bad start; arctic seabird; additional effort; Arctic; Svalbard; Black-legged Kittiwake
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c03773.s001

In birds, maternal transfer is a major exposure route for several contaminants, including poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Little is known, however, about the extent of the transfer of the different PFAS compounds to the eggs, especially for alternative fluorinated compounds. In the present study, we measured legacy and emerging PFAS, including Gen-X, ADONA, and F-53B, in the plasma of prelaying black-legged kittiwake females breeding in Svalbard and the yolk of their eggs. We aimed to (1) describe the contaminant levels and patterns in both females and eggs, and (2) investigate the maternal transfer, that is, biological variables and the relationship between the females and their eggs for each compound. Contamination of both females and eggs were dominated by linPFOS then PFUnA or PFTriA. We notably found 7:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acida precursor of long-chain carboxylatesin 84% of the egg yolks, and provide the first documented finding of ADONA in wildlife. Emerging compounds were all below the detection limit in female plasma. There was a linear association between females and eggs for most of the PFAS. Analyses of maternal transfer ratios in females and eggs suggest that the transfer is increasing with PFAS carbon chain length, therefore the longest chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were preferentially transferred to the eggs. The mean ∑ PFAS in the second-laid eggs was 73% of that in the first-laid eggs. Additional effort on assessing the outcome of maternal transfers on avian development physiology is essential, especially for PFCAs and emerging fluorinated compounds which are under-represented in experimental studies.