• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.347-355
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• 2008

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a member of the perfluoroalkyl acids that have wide commercial applications, is persistent organic pollutants widely spread throughout the environment and human population. But little is known about the adverse biological effects of the PFOA. In the present study, the toxicological effects of PFOA were investigated in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 10 in each group) were orally administered with PFOA in drinking water for 4 weeks (0, 100, 200, or 400 ppm in male, and 0, 200, 400, or 800 ppm in female). Three female rats given 800 ppm died during the study. PFOA treatment decreased the body weight gain and increased the liver weights in both genders. Serum biochemical investigations revealed significant increases in the aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, total cholesterol, and total bilirubin in male but in female. Serum estradiol (E2) levels were increased in all treated rats. Histopathologically, hepatocellular hypertrophy around central vein was noted in the liver of treated rats. No significant histopathological changes were noted in other organs. In conclusion, PFOA induced toxicological changes in the liver and increased serum E2 level which was not related to histopathological changes of endocrine and reproductive system.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2020

The long-chained perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are a potential exposure risk in the environment, specifically for humans due to high levels of bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity. In the current study, the plant uptake factors (PUFs) of spinach and Welsh onion were investigated on the three different concentration levels of PFOA and PFOS in soil. Spinach and Welsh onion were divided into three residue groups, a control group and two levels of PFOA and PFOS. The PFAAs spiked soils were aged for six months and the extractable residue of PFOS in the aged soil was reduced to 30-59% of the initial spiked concentrations for PFOS, while PFOA showed almost the same initial spiked concentrations. The PUFs for PFOA and PFOS were 0.111-2.821 and 0.047-3.175 for spinach, and 0.203-0.738 and 0.035-0.181 for Welsh onion, respectively. The highest PUF values in both vegetable were displayed when the residual concentration of PFAAs were part-per-billion (ppb) or sub-ppb in soil.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.30-33
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• 2014

A solid phase extraction (SPE) method was optimized for the quantitative analysis of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in serum using hydrophilic-lipophilic balance SPE and LC-MS/MS. Fetal bovine serums spiked with $^{13}C_8$-PFOA before or after SPE were used as test samples for evaluation of the SPE efficiency. Simultaneous evaluation of matrix effects and absolute SPE recovery for $^{13}C_8$-PFOA in serum using different sample pre-treatments and SPE conditions allowed optimization of SPE process efficiency with minimal matrix effect and decent SPE recovery. Introduction of protein precipitation as a sample pre-treatment procedure for serum samples before SPE generally decreased matrix effect in LC-MS/MS analysis and provided more stable recovery of PFOA.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.185-197
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• 2014

Efficient defluorination of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was achieved by integrating UV irradiation and $Fe^{2+}$ activation of persulfate ($S_2O{_8}^{2-}$). It was found that the UV-$Fe^{2+}$, $Fe^{2+}-S_2O{_8}^{2-}$, and UV-$S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ processes caused defluorination efficiency of 6.4%, 1.6% and 23.2% for PFOA at pH 5.0 within 5 h, respectively, but a combined system of UV-$Fe^{2+}-S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ dramatically promoted the defluorination efficiency up to 63.3%. The beneficial synergistic behavior between $Fe^{2+}-S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ and UV-$S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ was demonstrated to be dependent on $Fe^{2+}$ dosage, initial $S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ concentration, and solution pH. The decomposition of PFOA resulted in generation of shorter-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs), formic acid and fluoride ions. The generated PFCAs intermediates could be further defluorinated by adding supplementary $Fe^{2+}$ and, $S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ and re-adjusting solution pH in later reaction stage. The much enhanced PFOA defluorination in the UV-$Fe^{2+}-S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ system was attributed to the fact that the simultaneous employment of UV light and $Fe^{2+}$ not only greatly enhanced the activation of $S_2O{_8}^{2-}$ to form strong oxidizing sulfate radicals ($SO{_4}^{\cdot-}$), but also provided an additional decarboxylation pathway caused by electron transfer from PFOA to in situ generated $Fe^{3+}$.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.9.1-9.5
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• 2013

Objectives Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful tool for assessing exposure in epidemiologic studies. We used GIS to determine the geographic extent of contamination by perfluorooctanoic acid, C8 (PFOA) that was released into the environment from the DuPont Washington Works Facility located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Methods Paper maps of pipe distribution networks were provided by six local public water districts participating in the community cross-sectional survey, the C8 Health Project. Residential histories were also collected in the survey and geocoded. We integrated the pipe networks and geocoded addresses to determine which addresses were serviced by one of the participating water districts. The GIS-based water district assignment was then compared to the participants' self-reported source of public drinking water. Results There were a total of 151,871 addresses provided by the 48,800 participants of the C8 Health Project that consented to geocoding. We were able to successfully geocode 139,067 (91.6%) addresses, and of these, 118,209 (85.0%) self-reported water sources were confirmed using the GIS-based method of water district assignment. Furthermore, the GIS-based method corrected 20,858 (15.0%) self-reported public drinking water sources. Over half (54%) the participants in the lowest GIS-based exposure group self-reported being in a higher exposed water district. Conclusions Not only were we able to correct erroneous self-reported water sources, we were also able to assign water districts to participants with unknown sources. Without the GIS-based method, the reliance on only self-reported data would have resulted in exposure misclassification.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.191-194
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• 2018

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are emerging pollutants in agricultural product, and the residual patterns and the uptake potentials were only studied on several crops, not on rice. The residue level and bioconcentration factor (BCF) of PFOA and PFOS were investigated on the low ($1mg\;kg^{-1}$) and the high contaminated soil ($5mg\;kg^{-1}$) groups. The residue levels in brown rice in the low group and in the high group were 0.002-0.004 and $0.008-0.030mg\;kg^{-1}$ of the each perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), and in the rice husk were $0.035-0.074mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $0.125-0.376mg\;kg^{-1}$ of the each PFCs, respectively. Furthermore, the residues in rice straw were the highest level in the all rice parts both in the groups. The PFOA and PFOS were reached to $3.723mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $7.641mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively, and the BCF (1.474 and 4.700) as well.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2007

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are fully flurorinated organic compounds which are highly persistent in environment and accumulated in organism. These chemicals are released to the environment at their manufacture, during their use in industrial and consumer applications and from disposal after their use. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of PFOA and PFOS on the freshwater flea (Moina macrocopa). Acute toxicity test and chronic toxicity test were performed for 2 days and 10 days, respectively. Acute toxicity was assessed on the basis of mortality, while chronic toxicity was assessed by fecundity as well as mortality. The acute toxicity studies on PFOA and PFOS showed that the values of $LC_{50}$ were $73.9\;mg/L\;and\;27.7\;mg/L$ respectively. In the chronic toxicity test, fecundity was reduced significantly at 24.1 mg/L of PFOA and 9.3 mg/L of PFOS, respectively. Conclusively, the results of this work suggest that Moina macrocopa could be a suitable model organism for screening and assessing of environmental pollutants in water.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2010

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the principal chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAs). Despite the widespread use of these compounds, relatively little is known about their fate and effects. The purpose of this study was to determine the toxic effects of PFOS and PFOA on Daphnia magna. In the acute toxicity test, D. magna were exposed for 48 hours at concentrations of 0, 30, 45, 67.5, 101.25 and 151.88 mg/L PFOS, and 0, 100, 160, 225, 337.5 and 506.25 mg/L PFOA, respectively. In the case of chronic toxicity test, D. magna were exposed through water for 21 days at concentrations of 0, 0.375, 0.75, 1.5, 3 and 6 mg/L PFOS, and 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg/L PFOA, respectively. Acute toxicity was assessed on the basis of immobility, while chronic toxicity was assessed on the basis of fecundity. The acute toxicity test on PFOS and PFOA showed that the values of $EC_{50}$ were 50.90 mg/L and 253.47 mg/L, respectively. In the chronic test, fecundity was reduced significantly at 1.5 mg/L of PFOS and 10 mg/L of PFOA, respectively. These results indicated that PFOS is more toxic to zooplankton than PFOA, and both chemicals have some hazard demonstrates risk for acute or chronic toxicity to freshwater organism.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2015

The current official perfluorochemicals (PFCs) analysis method is established with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up method with LC-tandem mass spectrometry ($MS^n$). Herein the HLB clean-up method from the official method by Korean government was modified with Envi-Carb$^{TM}$ to improve the clean-up efficiency for agricultural water and the unexpected UV disturbance in the water was effectively removed by the adsorbent treatment without a significant disturbance of quantitation. And quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (qTOFMS) was suggested to the available $MS^n$ instruments for the residue analysis of PFCs based on the ng/L of quantitation limits in water as well.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.177-186
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• 2023

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA) was one of widely used per- and poly substances(PFAS) in the industrial field and its concentration in the surface and groundwater was found with relatively high concentration compared to other PFAS. Since various processes have been introduced to remove the PFOA, adsorption using GAC is well known as a useful and effective process in water and wastewater treatment. Surface modification for GAC was carried out using Cu and Fe to enhance the adsorption capacity and four different adsorbents, such as GAC-Cu, GAC-Fe, GAC-Cu(OH)₂, GAC-Fe(OH)₃ were prepared and compared with GAC. According to SEM-EDS, the increase of Cu or Fe was confirmed after surface modification and higher weight was observed for Cu and Fe hydroxide(GAC-Cu(OH)₂ and GAC-Fe(OH)₃, respectively). BET analysis showed that the surface modification reduced specific surface area and total pore volumes. The highest removal efficiency(71.4%) was obtained in GAC-Cu which is improved by 17.9% whereas the use of Fe showed lower removal efficiency compared to GAC. PFOA removal was decreased with increase of solution pH indicating electrostatic interaction governs at low pH and its effect was decreased when the point of zero charges(pzc) was negatively increased with an increase of pH. The enhanced removal of PFOA was clearly observed in solution pH 7, confirming the Cu in the surface of GAC plays a role on the PFOA adsorption. The maximum uptake was calculated as 257 and 345 ㎍/g for GAC and GAC-Cu using Langmuir isotherm. 40% and 80% of removal were accomplished within 1 h and 48 h. According to R², only the linear pseudo-second-order(pso) kinetic model showed 0.98 whereas the others obtained less than 0.870.