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PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS are the PFAS substances that currently contribute most to human exposure, and in 2020 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) presented a draft opinion on a tolerable intake of 8 ng/kg/week for the sum of these four substances (equaling 0.42 μg/kg if expressed as an annual dose). Diet is usually the dominating exposure pathway, and in particular the intake of PFOS has been shown to be strongly related to the consumption of fish and seafood. Those who eat freshwater fish may be especially at risk since freshwater and its biota typically display higher PFOS concentrations than marine systems. In this study, we estimated the range in PFOS intake among average Swedish "normal" and "high" consumers of freshwater fish. By average we mean persons of average weight who eat average-sized portions. The "normal consumers" were assumed to eat freshwater fish 3 times per year, and the "high consumers" once a week. Under these assumptions, the yearly tolerable intake for "normal" and "high" consumers is reached when the PFOS concentrations in fish equals 59 and 3.4 μg per kg fish meat. For this study, PFOS concentrations in the muscle tissue of edible-sized perch, pike and pikeperch were retrieved from three different Swedish datasets, covering both rural and urban regions and a total of 78 different inland waters. Mean PFOS concentrations in fish from these sites varied from 0.3 to 750 μg/kg. From the available data, the annual min-max dietary PFOS intake for male "normal consumers" was found to be in the range 0.0021–5.4 μg/kg/yr for the evaluated scenarios, with median values of 0.02–0.16 μg/kg/yr. For male "high consumers", the total intake range was estimated to be 0.04–93 μg/kg/yr, with median values being 0.27–1.6 μg/kg/yr. For women, the exposure estimates were slightly lower, about 79% of the exposure in men. Despite highly variable PFOS concentrations in fish from different sites, we conclude that the three most commonly consumed freshwater species in Sweden constitute an important source for the total annual intake even for people who eat this kind of fish only a few times per year. The analyses of PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS showed values which were all below detection limit, and their contribution to the total PFAS intake via freshwater fish consumption is negligible in comparison to PFOS. • Fish, in particular from freshwater, often contains high PFOS concentrations. • Here we found PFOS in Swedish freshwater fish ranging from 0.3 to 750 μg/kg. • The fish contamination is critical for the PFOS concentrations in fish. • Even a moderate fish consumption adds significantly to the dietary PFOS intake. • PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS via fish consumption is negligible in comparison to PFOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer goods and building materials present in the preschool environment can be important sources of hazardous chemicals, such as plasticizers, bisphenols, organophosphorus and brominated flame retardants, poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, which may pose a health risk to children. Even though exposure occurs via many different pathways, such as food intake, inhalation, dermal exposure, mouthing of toys etc., dust has been identified as a valuable indicator for indoor exposure. In the present study, we evaluate the efficiency of product substitution actions taken in 20 Swedish preschools from the Stockholm area to reduce the presence of hazardous substances in indoor environments. Dust samples were collected from elevated surfaces in rooms where children have their everyday activities, and the concentrations found were compared to the levels from a previous study conducted in 2015 at the same preschools. It was possible to lower levels of hazardous substances in dust, but their continued presence in the everyday environment of children was confirmed since bisphenol A, restricted phthalates and organophosphate esters were still detectable in all preschools. Also, an increase in the levels of some of the substitutes for the nowadays restricted substances was noted; some of the alternative plasticizers to phthalates, such as DEHA and DEHT, were found with increased concentrations. DINP was the dominant plasticizer in preschool dust with a median concentration of 389 μg/g, while its level was significantly (p = 0.012) higher at 716 μg/g in preschools with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring. PBDEs were now less frequently detected in dust and their levels decreased 20% to 30%. This was one of the few times that PFAS were analyzed in preschool dust, where 6:2 diPAP was found to be most abundant with a median concentration of 1140 ng/g, followed by 6:2 PAP 151 ng/g, 8:2 diPAP 36 ng/g, N-Et-FOSAA 18 ng/g, PFOS 12 ng/g, PFOA 7.7 ng/g and PFNA 1.1 ng/g. In addition, fluorotelomer alcohols were detected in 65-90% of the samples. Children's exposure via dust ingestion was evaluated using intermediate and high daily intake rates of the targeted chemicals and established health limit values. In each case, the hazard quotients (HQs) were < 1, and the risk for children to have adverse health effects from the hazardous chemicals analyzed in this study via dust ingestion was even lower after the product substitution actions were taken in preschools., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a diverse class of >4700 chemicals used in commercial products and industrial processes. Concerns surrounding PFASs are principally due to their widespread occurrence in humans and the environment and links to adverse health effects. One of the lesser known uses for PFASs is in cosmetic products (CPs) which come into contact with the skin (e.g. hair products, powders, sunblocks, etc.). In the present work, thirty-one CPs from five product categories (cream, foundation, pencil, powder and shaving foam) were analyzed for 39 PFASs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, as well as extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and total fluorine (TF) by combustion ion chromatography (CIC). This multi-platform approach enabled determination of the fraction of fluorine accounted for by known PFASs (i.e. fluorine mass balance). Foundations and powders contained 25 different PFASs with the most frequently detected being perfluorinated carboxylic acids (perfluoroheptanoic acid and perfluorohexanoic acid) and polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs). Σ14PAP concentrations up to 470 μg g-1 were measured in products listing mixtures of PAPs as an ingredient. For all samples, Σ39PFAS concentrations only explained a small fraction of the EOF and TF, pointing to the presence of unknown organic and/or inorganic fluorinated substances, including polymers. While creams, pencil and shaving foams did not contain measurable concentrations of any of the 39 PFASs targeted here, CIC revealed high to moderate TF content. Overall, these data highlight the need for further investigations into the occurrence of PFASs in CPs and their importance with regards to human and environmental exposure.