Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and related fluorochemicals in chicken egg in China

The ubiquitous occurrence of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in environmental samples has drawn much attention. Recent human exposure studies found relatively high perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) concentrations in blood samples from several cities in China when compared with other countries. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to measure PFC concentrations and compositions in chicken egg samples from local markets in China; and (2) to conduct a preliminary human health risk assessment of egg consumption. Eight pooled egg samples from eight locations were analyzed for 11 PFCs. The results showed that close to 100% of the PFOS in the egg was distributed in egg yolk and PFOS was not detected in egg white (< 0.08 ng/g wet weight, w/w). Of the perfluoroalkylsulfonates, only PFOS was detected in all egg samples, while of the perfluoroalkylcarboxylates, perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) was detected in all samples, followed by perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) (75% occurrence) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (50% occurrence). PFOS concentrations in egg ranged from 45.0 to 86.9 ng/g w/w. The results suggested that current concentrations of PFOS in domestic chicken eggs are unlikely to cause immediate harm to Chinese populations.