A recently published article co-authored by STEEP trainee Jennifer Sun, PhD candidate at Harvard University, and STEEP Project 1 Lead Elsie Sunderland, was selected as the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Research Brief for January 2025. Each month, SRP Research Briefs spotlight some of the most impactful work from grant recipients.
The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology and catalyzed by a recent review underscoring lack of PFAS bioaccumulation models to understand risks to the environment and human health, developed new aquatic and terrestrial food web models for PFAS and evaluated model effectiveness using already available laboratory and field data.
Within the research, Sun and collaborators modified existing food web bioaccumulation models, for the purpose of simulating build-up of PFAS in both aquatic and terrestrial food webs. The models were utilized to assess food-web specific bioaccumulation behavior and evaluate the influence of various physical-chemical, biological and environmental factors. The models also serve as mathematical representation of the bioaccumulation mechanisms and a predictor of PFAS concentrations of PFAS in organisms.
Research found the highest concentration of toxins within food webs of air-breathing wildlife. Albumin-water, structural protein−water, membrane- water distribution coefficients (a measurement of how strongly PFAS bind), and kidney removal rate were important factors, but additional research would improve prediction of kidney reabsorption and secretion.
Countless efforts are aimed to assess environmental and human health risks associated with legacy PFAS, and regulatory authorities are tasked with screening several hundreds to thousands of PFAS. Models developed within this research are designed to predict internal whole-body and tissue-specific PFAS accumulations for species within aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Likewise, the models can thus be used to estimate daily intake values of various wildlife and humans. Furthering models like these will expand an understanding of PFAS bioaccumulation.
Barry C. Kelly, Jennifer M. Sun, Mandy R. R. McDougall, Elsie M. Sunderland, and Frank A. P. C. Gobas. Development and Evaluation of Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Web Bioaccumulation Models for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Environmental Science & Technology 2024 58 (40), 17828-17837.
