Are feathers of a songbird model species (the great tit

Subtitle:Parus major) suitable for monitoring perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in blood plasma?

Feathers have been shown to be useful in the biomonitoring of environmental contaminants, such as 20 metals and persistent organic pollutants. However, little is known regarding the levels of perfluoroalkyl 21 acids (PFAAs) in feathers and the applicability of these structures for the biomonitoring of these 22 compounds. In the present study, we report the extent to which feathers are suitable for monitoring PFAA 23 concentrations in the blood plasma of an insectivorous songbird model species, the great tit (Parus major), 24 settled at and in the vicinity of a fluorochemical plant in Antwerp, Belgium. For most of the target analytes 25 (out of the 15 investigated), the feather PFAA concentrations near the plant are the highest ever reported 26 in free-living birds. As PFAA concentrations did not differ in the adjacent sites, no pollution gradient with 27 distance from the plant was observed. In addition, the PFAA concentrations were not associated with the 28 age and sex of the birds. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations were significantly higher in P. 29 major feathers than in blood plasma, but for most other PFAAs, these differences were not observed. The 30 concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and PFOA in P. major feathers and plasma were 31 significantly and positively correlated when combining data from all sites but often not at individual sites. 32 This result was likely caused by lower sample sizes at the individual sites and the use of matrices that 33 represent different time periods. Our results suggest that P. major feathers cannot be used to estimate 34 PFOA and PFOS concentrations in blood plasma, except when there is a great deal of variation in pollutant 35 concentrations among sites/individual birds. Both matrices represent different time frames, providing 36 complementary information on environmental PFAA concentrations, as illustrated by the observation that 37 more PFAA compounds could be detected in P. major feathers than in blood plasma.

Publication year:2020

Keywords:A1 Journal article

BOF-keylabel:yes

Accessibility:Open