Occurrence of benzophenones and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in raw sheep wool from predominantly rural regions without major industrial centers
Abstract
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and benzophenones (BPs) are widely utilized industrial chemicals recognized as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). While their environmental ubiquity and adverse effects on biota are well-documented, the extent of livestock exposure to these compounds remains poorly characterized. This study aimed to evaluate, for the first time, exposure to selected, widely applied industrial PFAS and BPs in sheep populations across two predominantly rural regions devoid of major industrial centers. Furthermore, this is the first study to investigate the co-occurrence of BPs and PFAS in raw sheep wool. Sheep wool samples were collected from two regions: the Iława and Ostróda counties in northeastern Poland. The raw wool samples were analyzed for the presence of selected, widely used industrial PFAS and BPs using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Among the investigated PFAS, the highest mean concentrations (± standard deviation) were observed for perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) at 2.00 ± 2.15 pg/mg (median: 1.52 pg/mg), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) at 1.67 ± 1.12 pg/mg (median: 1.31 pg/mg), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) at 1.51 ± 2.07 pg/mg (median: 1.14 pg/mg). For BPs, the predominant compounds were benzophenone-1 (BP-1) and benzophenone-3 (BP-3), with mean concentrations amounting to 37.38 ± 125.5 pg/mg (median < limit of quantification, LOQ) and 2.45 ± 1.73 pg/mg (median: 2.20 pg/mg), respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of the targeted PFAS and BPs exhibited distinct regional profiles. Ultimately, this study highlights the contamination of raw wool with PFAS and BPs, even when collected from animals kept in predominantly rural regions devoid of major industrial centers. Such contamination may pose a potential risk to human health; however, further comprehensive toxicological studies are required to precisely determine its extent.