Perfluoroalkyl acids in Larus michahellis from Comacchio lagoon

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), such as perfluoroalkylsulfonic acids (PFSAs) and perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids (PFCAs), are a group of chemicals used into a wide range of industrial and consumer products during the last six decades. They have aroused concern about their distribution in the environment and their potential bioaccumulation. This study is a preliminary investigation of the concentration of 11 PFAAs in yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) yolk from a colony settled on an island in the Comacchio lagoon (Italy). The eggs were taken from 19 three-egg clutches: 6 from first laid eggs (a-eggs), 9 from second laid eggs (b-eggs) and 4 from third laid eggs (c-eggs). The analyses of 8 PFCA and 3 PFSA were performed in yolk samples by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) coupled to a turbulent flow chromatography (TFC) for the purification of the extracts. Mean PFAAs in a-eggs was 150 ± 107 ng/g yolk wet weight (ww), in b-eggs 209 ± 219 ng/g yolk ww and in c-eggs 179 ± 213 ng/g yolk ww. Perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) and short-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids were not detected. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the main compound detected in egg yolks followed by C10 - C11 - C12 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids. Our results are consistently with previous studies where PFOS was the predominant perfluorinated alkyl substance in eggs (range between 0.29-9453 ng/g ww) of diverse avian species from different geographic areas.