Bioconcentration of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) in Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss)

This work investigated the bioconcentration of PFASs in juvenile rainbow trout by exposing the fish in separate tanks under flow-through conditions to water continuously spiked with either of the AFFFs FC-203CF light water AFFF 3% (3M) or Niagara 1-3 (Angus Fire); a nonspiked tank served as the control. Three fish in each tank were collected after 1, 3, 6, and 11 days of exposure, and 3, 7, 14, and 25 days of depuration. Liver and carcass homogenate samples were analyzed for 20 PFASs using LC-MS/MS. PFDS, PFOS, PFHxS, and EtFOSAA were detected in fish exposed to the 3M foam, while 6:2 and 8:2 FTSASs, 6:2 and 8:2 FTSAs, 5:3 and 7:3 FTCAs were measured in fish exposed to Angus Fire foam. Bioconcentration factors and rate constants for uptake and depuration were calculated. Total and extractable organofluorine were measured in the fish samples. After fish were exposed to AFFFs, not only known PFASs but also other unknown organofluorines were bioconcentrated. Compared to the control group, significantly greater amounts (at least 10-fold) and proportion of unidentified PFASs were found in both liver and carcass homogenate ranging from similar to 50% in 3M foam up to 95% in the Angus Fire foam at the end of exposure.