A chemical reaction key to various industries just got greener

A multi-institutional research team, led by Osaka University, successfully converts biomass-derived long-chain fatty acids into fatty amines, opening the door to greener catalyst processes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

OSAKA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

REDUCTIVE AMINATION OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS

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CREDIT: OSAKA UNIVERSITY

Osaka, Japan – From alleviating your allergy symptoms to optimizing herbicide performance, alkylamines are molecules that have many uses. Unfortunately, common methods of producing alkylamines result in harmful waste byproducts. A method of synthesizing alkylamines in a sustainable yet cost-effective way has thus been highly sought after.

Now, in a study recently published in Green Chemistry, a research team led by Osaka University has found a way. The team has developed a method of alkylamine synthesis that works under mild conditions and produces only water as a byproduct. The simple, environmentally friendly reaction conditions reported here will hopefully inspire advances in other chemical syntheses common in industry.

Sports clothing, furniture, and many other everyday products are produced, in part, by using alkylamines. So how do we produce these wonder molecules? Carboxylic acids are an ideal starting point because they can be sourced sustainably, such as from biomass. However, the synthetic procedures currently used also produce a large quantity of waste or require experimentally difficult reaction conditions, such as high pressures and temperatures. Thus, industry generally avoids carboxylic acids as a starting material for alkylamine production. Developing a new synthetic protocol that works at experimentally convenient pressures and temperatures was the goal of the research team's study.

"In our work, we unveil a novel catalyst system, a platinum – molybdenum catalyst, that can transform carboxylic acids into amines," explains Katsumasa Sakoda, lead author of the study. "This produces alkylamines, which can be used for surfactants, pharmaceuticals and more."

The researchers' synthetic protocol offers several advantages: one, the reaction conditions are mild, requiring only atmospheric hydrogen pressure and temperatures up to 160°C. Two, the turnover number, i.e., the number of moles of substrate that a mole of catalyst can convert, is high at 363. Three, the catalyst can be reused at least five times. Four, many carboxylic acid and amine starting materials are compatible with the reactions involved, such as converting fatty acids into fatty amines. Five, the reaction yields are high – up to 99%, with water being the only byproduct.

"We're excited because our research improves the environmental sustainability and simplifies the experimental setup of a common class of chemical syntheses," says Tomoo Mizugaki, senior author. "We hope that this is only the first step toward the development of greener catalyst processes.”

The team’s research is an important step forward in increasing the sustainability of a chemical reaction that is required for synthesizing many everyday products. Because the experimental synthetic procedures are safe and simple, they can be readily used for other catalytic processes.

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The article, "Reductive amination of carboxylic acids under H2 using a heterogeneous Pt–Mo catalyst," was published in Green Chemistry at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3GC02155F

About Osaka University
Osaka University was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world, being named Japan's most innovative university in 2015 (Reuters 2015 Top 100) and one of the most innovative institutions in the world in 2017 (Innovative Universities and the Nature Index Innovation 2017). Now, Osaka University is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.
Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en

(a) The photo of Pt‒Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. (b) Transmission electron microscope image of Pt‒Mo/γ-Al2O3.

Reductive amination of biomass-derived fatty acids to fatty amines

CREDIT

Osaka University

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JOURNAL

Green Chemistry

DOI

10.1039/D3GC02155F 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Lab-produced tissue samples

ARTICLE TITLE

Reductive amination of carboxylic acids under H2 using a heterogeneous Pt–Mo catalyst

 

Exposure to air pollution associated with increase in sedentary time, study finds

Long-term exposure to current levels of UK air pollution has been found to be associated with an annual increase of up to 22 minutes of sedentary time each day, in a study published in the Journal of Public Health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST

Exposure to air pollution associated with increase in
sedentary time, study finds

Long-term exposure to current levels of UK air pollution has been found to be associated with an annual increase of up to 22 minutes of sedentary time each day, in a study published in the Journal of Public Health.

Researchers based at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) discovered this trend in what is thought to be the first study of its kind to closely examine the relationship between the levels of background pollution people are regularly exposed to in the UK environment, and their levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Sedentary behaviour is the amount of time spent lying, reclining, sitting or standing still. Higher levels of sedentary behaviour are known to be linked to poorer health including heart disease, several types of cancer and an earlier death.

Dr Jonathan Goldney from the University of Leicester explained: “We know that air pollution is associated with cardiometabolic and respiratory diseases, and in 2019 the World Health Organization estimated that 99% of the global population breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.

“Levels of air pollution may affect people’s ability to exercise, or their enjoyment of exercise. It may also be considered a risk factor for increasing levels of sedentary behaviour  by encouraging sitting time indoors and discouraging active time outdoors, further increasing the risk of chronic disease in a feedback loop.”

In this study, the team, which included Director of the NIHR Leicester BRC, Professor Melanie Davies CBE, took a close look at observations made on 644 people at risk of type 2 diabetes taking part in the ‘Walking Away from type 2 diabetes’ behavioural intervention, which aimed to increase physical activity through walking. 

Dr Goldney added: “The participants in the study wore accelerometers around their waists for seven consecutive days during waking hours. This gave us their daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time on three occasions over a three year period – and an incredible opportunity to look for any long term trends.”

Annual average levels of the most measured air pollutants in health research (long-term particulate matter with diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 μm (micrometres), less than or equal to 10 μm, and nitrogen dioxide) from the year the participant entered the study and the preceding two years (sourced from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ Pollution Climate Mapping model) were then compared to the annual change in accelerometer-measured sedentary time.

After taking into account important factors like social deprivation and measures of the built environment, the associations between long-term particulate matter with diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (micrometres), 10 μm, and nitrogen dioxide and annual change in accelerometer measured sedentary time and physical activity were examined.

Dr Goldney said: “Although the levels of pollutants we measured were not associated with a change in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or number of steps taken, we found that they were associated with an annual increase in sedentary time.

“An increase of 1 μgm−3 in the average concentration of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide was associated with an increase in sedentary time of 1.52 minutes per day per year in the most conservative model. And across the group, our findings suggest that high levels of exposure to nitrogen dioxide were associated with up to 22 minutes per day of increased sedentary time per year.

“We observed this association regardless of how concentrations of pollutants were measured, including as a three-year average (year of start of observation with the two preceding years), or as the average pollutant concentration during the 12-month observation period.”

“If levels of air pollution are causing this increase in sedentary time, interventions to reduce ambient air pollution concentration such as low emissions zones could have a really positive impact on individual’s levels of sedentary behaviour, and a significant effect on public health,” Dr Goldney concluded.

To read the full paper please visit: Long-term ambient air pollution exposure and prospective change in sedentary behaviour and physical activity in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes in the UK | Journal of Public Health | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

 

 

The NIHR Leicester BRC is part of the NIHR and hosted by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in partnership with the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group. The Leicester Real World Evidence Unit is part of the Leicester Diabetes Centre. 

 

Ends  

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JOURNAL

Journal of Public Health

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Long-term ambient air pollution exposure and prospective change in sedentary behaviour and physical activity in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes in the UK

COI STATEMENT

The authors had financial support from the funders listed above for the submitted work. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

 BIOLOGICAL WARFARE

The value of information gathering for phages

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PNAS NEXUS

 

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ILLUSTRATION OF THE COMPETITION EXPLORED IN THE PAPER, BETWEEN PHAGES WITH A FIXED BRANCHING RATIO BETWEEN LYSOGENY AND LYSIS (GREEN) AND PHAGES WHO ADJUST THIS RATIO BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (PINK). THE LATTER, WHEN INFECTING BACTERIA (BLUE) RELEASE SIGNAL MOLECULES (PURPLE), WHICH THEY CAN THEN DETECT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.

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CREDIT: DAHAN ET AL

Phages, the viruses that infect bacteria, will pay a high growth-rate cost to access environmental information that can help them choose which lifecycle to pursue, according to a study. Yigal Meir and colleagues developed a model of a bacteria-phage system to investigate how much the viruses should be willing to invest to acquire information about their local environment. A temperate phage, once inside a bacterium, can choose one of two life cycles. In the lytic cycle, the phage turns the bacterium into a factory for additional phages, until the cell is full of phages and the bacterium bursts and dies. In the lysogenic cycle, the phage inserts its DNA into the bacterial genome. This lysogenic strategy is useful for situations where there are few proximate infection opportunities, either because there are few bacteria nearby or because all nearby bacteria are already infected with related phages. Once phage DNA is inserted into the bacterium, its progeny will also carry phage DNA, and can produce phages in the future when there are more uninfected targets available. Knowing the extent of infection opportunities can determine which lifecycle would lead to more descendants of the phage in the long run. Some phages do have means of sensing the abundance of bacteria nearby, as well as the abundance of phage infection events nearby—but these sensing abilities require genes that come at a cost to the phage. The authors theoretically investigate the “price,” in terms of lysogenic growth rate or number of phages released per burst, that phage should be willing to pay to gain environmental information. According to the authors, a lysogenic phage that has incurred a 50% growth rate penalty to access environmental information will still outcompete a phage that does not sense the abundance of nearby phages or bacteria. 

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JOURNAL

PNAS Nexus

ARTICLE TITLE

The value of information gathering in phage-bacteria warfare

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

9-Jan-2024

SEE 
 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PHAGES
 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=BACTERIOPHAGE
https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PHAGE
 https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=BIOPHAGES

 

Shape matters: How microplastic travels that far

New study: Microplastic fibers are settling substantially slower than spherical particles in the atmosphere and might even reach stratosphere

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR DYNAMICS AND SELF-ORGANIZATION

Microplastic particles can be found in the most remote corners of our planet. For some places, such as Arctic glaciers and ice sheets, atmospheric transport is the only conceivable pathway. However, it is puzzling how some quite large and mostly fiber-like microplastics found their way to such places, even though atmospheric transport models predict that such large particles fall out of the atmosphere close to their sources.

The study by an interdisciplinary group of scientists from the University of Vienna, Austria and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen, Germany, has approached this puzzle via an innovative combination of laboratory experiments and model simulations. The researchers first determined experimentally how fast microplastic fibers settle in the atmosphere and found that fibers settle substantially slower than spheres of the same mass.

Lack of data on microplastic fibers in air

Mohsen Bagheri of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation, who oversaw the laboratory experiments, comments: "Surprisingly, there is almost no data in the literature on the dynamics of microplastic fibers as they settle in air. This lack of data is largely due to the challenges of conducting controlled and repeatable experiments on such small particles in air. With advances in submicron-resolution 3D printing and the development of a novel experimental setup that allows tracking of individual microplastics in air, we were able to fill this knowledge gap and improve existing models in this study". 

The researchers then implemented a model describing the settling process of non-spherical particles into a global atmospheric transport model. The differences to spherical particles were dramatic: fibers with lengths of up to 1.5 mm could reach the most remote places of Earth in the model, while the model showed that spheres of the same mass settled much closer to the plastic source regions.

Daria Tatsii from the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna, the first author of the study, says: "With the novel laboratory experiments and modelling analysis, we certainly reduce uncertainties about the atmospheric transport of fibers and can finally explain via modelling why microplastics reach very remote regions of the planet. An important result of the study is that our analysis is applicable not only to microplastics, but also to any other particles such as volcanic ash, mineral dust, pollen, etc.".

Fibers might have an impact even on the stratosphere

Another finding is that, in the model, plastic fibers could reach much greater heights in the atmosphere than spheres of the same mass. Andreas Stohl of the University of Vienna who initiated the study comments: "This could have implications for cloud processes and even for stratospheric ozone, since it seems possible that microplastic fibers are abundant in the upper troposphere and might even reach the stratosphere. For instance, we cannot rule out that chlorine contained in these particles is harmful to the ozone layer. However, right now we do not even know how much plastic, and in which sizes and shapes, is emitted to the atmosphere, and we also do not know what happens to it under the extreme conditions of the upper troposphere and stratosphere. We are lacking very basic data. But given the dramatic increase in global plastic production, we have to be watchful." 

Despite all uncertainties, one thing is clear from the paper: The often peculiar shapes of microplastic particles need to be considered when investigating their environmental impact.

 

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science & Technology

DOI

10.1021/acs.est.3c08209 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Shape Matters: Long-Range Transport of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere

Microplastics affect soil fungi depending on drought conditions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

Moisture levels in the soil can impact the effects that microplastic pollution has on soil fungi, according to new research published in Environmental Microbiology.

By studying soil samples mixed with microplastics under different conditions, investigators found that when soil is well-watered, toxic chemicals in microplastics can leach into the soil and hinder soil fungal richness. With dry soil, however, the leaching of water-extractable chemicals is less pronounced and therefore less impactful on soil fungal structure.

The researchers also noted that under dry conditions, microplastics help soil hold water for longer, which could help mitigate the effects of drought. Although this could be considered a desirable scenario, these interactions imply complex challenges for land management.

“Microplastics in soil alter soil fungal communities, which negatively affect soil ecosystem functions,” said corresponding author Yudi M. Lozano, PhD, of Freie Universität Berlin and the Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, in Germany.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.16549

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Environmental Microbiology is devoted to the advancement of our understanding of microbial interactions and microbial processes in the environment, and publishes original research reporting significant advances in or relating to this subject. Environmental Microbiology is published jointly with Applied Microbiology International. 

About Wiley
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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JOURNAL

Environmental Microbiology

DOI

10.1111/1462-2920.16549 

ARTICLE TITLE

Microplastic fibers affect soil fungal communities depending on drought conditions with consequences for ecosystem functions

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Jan-2024

 

More than 900 chemicals, many found in consumer products and the environment, display breast-cancer causing traits

New study advances understanding of how endocrine disrupting chemicals influence breast cancer risk

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SILENT SPRING INSTITUTE

With tens of thousands of synthetic chemicals on the market, and new ones in development all the time, knowing which ones might be harmful is a challenge both for the federal agencies that regulate them and the companies that use them in products. Now scientists have found a quick way to predict if a chemical is likely to cause breast cancer based on whether the chemical harbors specific traits.

“This new study provides a roadmap for regulators and manufacturers to quickly flag chemicals that could contribute to breast cancer in order to prevent their use in consumer products and find safer alternatives,” says lead author Dr. Jennifer Kay, a research scientist at Silent Spring Institute.

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Recent data show rates increasing in young women, a trend that can’t be explained by genetics. “We need new tools to identify environmental exposures that could be contributing to this trend so we can develop prevention strategies and reduce the burden of the disease,” says Kay.

Hormone signals

Kay and her colleagues searched through multiple international and U.S. government databases to identify chemicals that have been found to cause mammary tumors in animals. The databases were from the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), the National Toxicology Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Cancer Institute, among others.

The researchers also looked at data from EPA’s ToxCast program to identify chemicals that alter the body’s hormones, or endocrine disruptors, in ways that could promote breast cancer. The team looked specifically for chemicals that activate the estrogen receptor—a receptor present in breast cells—as well as chemicals that cause cells to make more estrogen or progesterone, an established risk factor for breast cancer.

Reporting in Environmental Health Perspectives, the researchers identified a total of 921 chemicals that could promote the development of breast cancer. Ninety percent of the chemicals are ones that people are commonly exposed to in consumer products, food and drink, pesticides, medications, and workplaces.

A breakdown of the list revealed 278 chemicals that cause mammary tumors in animals. More than half of the chemicals cause cells to make more estrogen or progesterone, and about a third activate the estrogen receptor. “Breast cancer is a hormonal disease, so the fact that so many chemicals can alter estrogen and progesterone is concerning,” says Kay.

Since damage to DNA can also trigger cancer, the researchers searched additional databases and found 420 of the chemicals on their list both damage DNA and alter hormones, which could make them riskier. What’s more, the team’s analysis found that chemicals that cause mammary tumors in animals are more likely to have these DNA damaging and hormone-disrupting characteristics than ones that don’t.

“Historically, chemicals that cause mammary tumors in animals were seen as the best predictor of whether they might cause breast cancer in humans,” says co-author Ruthann Rudel, director of research at Silent Spring. “But animal studies are expensive and time consuming, which is why so many chemicals have not been tested. Our findings show that screening chemicals for these hormonal traits could be an effective strategy for flagging potential breast carcinogens.”

A roadmap for safety

Over the past decade, there has been growing evidence that environmental chemicals are important contributing factors in the development of cancer. A number of studies in people have found links between breast cancer and pesticides, hair dyes, and air pollution. Other studies suggest exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals early in life, in the womb or during puberty, can alter breast development in ways that could increase the risk of cancer later on.

To observe those associations, however, scientists have to wait until hundreds or thousands of children and women have been exposed to a chemical and check, often many years later, to see who develops breast cancer. “It’s not feasible, nor is it ethical, to wait that long,” says Rudel. “And it’s another reason why we need better tools for predicting which chemicals are likely to lead to breast cancer so we can avoid those exposures.”

The Silent Spring study could have implications for how EPA assesses chemicals for safety. For instance, the chemicals identified in the study include more than 30 pesticides that EPA previously approved for use despite evidence linking the chemicals with mammary tumors.

This fall, EPA proposed a new strategic plan to ensure that pesticides are evaluated for their effects on hormones. The study authors hope their new comprehensive list of breast cancer-relevant chemicals, which includes hundreds of endocrine disruptors, will inform EPA’s plan and better protect the public from harmful exposures.

Additional co-authors of the new study include Megan Schwarzman at UC Berkeley and Julia Brody at Silent Spring Institute.

Funding for this project was provided by the California Breast Cancer Research Program (Grant #23QB-1881) and charitable donations to the Safer Chemicals Program at Silent Spring Institute.

Reference:

Kay, J.E., J.G. Brody, M. Schwarzman, R.A. Rudel. 2023. Application of the Key Characteristics framework to identify potential breast carcinogens using publicly available in vivo, in vitro, and in silico data. Environmental Health Perspectives. DOI: 10.1289/EHP13233

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JOURNAL

Environmental Health Perspectives

DOI

10.1289/EHP13233 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Application of the Key Characteristics framework to identify potential breast carcinogens using publicly available in vivo, in vitro, and in silico data

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Jan-2024

COI STATEMENT

Silent Spring Institute is a scientific research organization dedicated to studying environmental factors in women’s health. The institute is a 501(c)3 public charity funded by federal grants and contracts, foundation grants, and private donations, including from breast cancer organizations. Study funders had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

FOREVER CHEMICALS

PFAS flow equally between Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

 

IMAGE: 

PFAS COME AND GO BETWEEN THE ARCTIC AND ATLANTIC OCEANS AT ROUGHLY EQUAL RATES.

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CREDIT: ADAPTED FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2024, DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ESTLETT.3C00835

The frigid Arctic Ocean is far removed from the places most people live, but even so, “forever chemicals” reach this remote landscape. Now, research in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters suggests that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) won't stay there indefinitely. Instead, they are transported in a feedback loop, with the Arctic Ocean potentially exporting as many PFAS to the North Atlantic Ocean as it receives, circulating the compounds around the world.

To get to the Arctic Ocean, some PFAS hitch a ride in the air and fall onto the ocean’s surface, but others enter from adjacent oceans. The potential impact of these compounds on marine organisms depends on what PFAS are present and how much, which are ever-changing as water flows between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. These waterbodies are connected by the Fram Strait, which sits to the northeast of Greenland near the Svalbard archipelago. Warm water travels north on the eastern side of the strait, and cold water flows south along the western side, providing a dynamic gateway for PFAS transportation. So, Rainer Lohmann and colleagues wanted to track the movement of PFAS in this region and identify how water circulation influences the mix of contaminants in the Arctic Ocean.

The researchers deployed passive sampling systems, which took up PFAS into a sorbent-filled microporous membrane from water as it flowed past. They put the systems at three locations in the Fram Strait, and at four depths in each location. After a year, the team retrieved the systems and measured the collected PFAS using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The researchers overserved that:

• Ten PFAS were detected in at least one passive sampler, however, one substance detected in the area by previous research teams wasn’t among them.
• Two compounds known as PFOA and PFOS, which are being phased out, were present at the highest levels. Newer, short-chain PFAS were also routinely present.
• Surprisingly, several PFAS were found in water below 3,000 feet deep. The team suggests that these compounds could have gotten there by attaching to particles as they fell to the seafloor.

The team calculated the amounts of PFAS flowing in each direction through the Fram Strait. Their data showed that in one year around 123 tons traveled into the Arctic Ocean and about 110 tons moved into the Atlantic Ocean. According to the researchers, these values are the largest of any pollutant reported in the strait, demonstrating how significant the back-and-forth circulation of PFAS is in the Arctic Ocean.

The authors acknowledge funding from the University of Rhode Island Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFAS (STEEP) Superfund Center, and the Alfred Wegener Institute Long Term Ecological Research Hausgarten program.

The paper’s abstract will be available on Jan. 10 at 8 a.m. Eastern time here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00835

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science & Technology Letters

DOI

10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00835 

ARTICLE TITLE

Passive Sampler Derived Profiles and Mass Flows of Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFASs) across the Fram Strait in the North Atlantic

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Jan-2024

Nafion byproduct 2 found in blood of well users near Fayetteville, NC

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Researchers from the GenX Exposure Study detected PFAS originating from a fluorochemical manufacturing plant – including Nafion byproduct 2 and GenX – in nearby private wells in Bladen and Cumberland Counties, N.C. PFAS refers to a group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

“These compounds were released to the environment through air and wastewater emissions from the facility,” says Nadine Kotlarz, research scholar in the department of biological sciences at North Carolina State University, member of NC State’s Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE), and corresponding author of the paper.

“Air released from the facility caused the contamination of groundwater and private wells,” Kotlarz says. “In order to study how exposure to these chemicals may affect human health, we need to know the exposure levels across impacted people.”

In February 2019, the researchers recruited 153 people from this region who used 84 private wells to participate in the GenX Exposure Study. The participants lived within six miles of the fluorochemical facility. The participants provided well water and blood samples and filled out questionnaires about their well-water consumption.

The water and blood samples were screened for nine PFAS produced by the facility, including GenX and Nafion byproduct 2.

The PFAS found most frequently and at the highest concentrations in the wells included several low molecular weight PFAS (PMPA, PEPA, GenX, PFO2HxA, PFMOAA). The median concentration of GenX in the wells was 107 nanograms per liter (ng/L), 10 times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water health advisory level of 10 ng/L.

However, these PFAS were not frequently detected in the private well users’ blood, even though they drank the well water.

Nafion byproduct 2, a higher molecular weight PFAS with a longer half-life, was detected frequently in wells at lower concentrations (the median concentration was 14 ng/L) and detected in more than half of participants’ blood.

“With Nafion byproduct 2, we saw that higher well-water concentration and the longer a person lived at their home correlated with higher blood levels,” Kotlarz says. “Well-water consumption is having an impact on exposure, and we know that several other PFAS were present in the wells, but due to the short half-lives of some PFAS (like GenX) in the body, we didn’t find all of the well water PFAS in blood.

“Blood levels of a chemical across a population are often used to characterize exposure,” Kotlarz says. “Without blood levels, we will need to estimate exposure to PFAS such as GenX another way in order to study their potential health effects.”

The research appears in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. The GenX Exposure Study is supported by research funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1R21ES029353), NC State’s CHHE (P30 ES025128), the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS (P42 ES0310095), and the NC Policy Collaboratory. James McCord and Mark Strynar from the EPA; David Collier and Suzanne Lea from East Carolina University; Theresa Guillette of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research; and Claire Critchley, Michael Cuffney, Zachary Hopkins, Detlef Knappe and Jane Hoppin of NC State also contributed to the work.

-peake-

Note to editors: An abstract follows.

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids in well water and blood serum from private well users residing by a fluorochemical facility near Fayetteville, North Carolina”

DOI: 10.1038/s41370-023-00626-x

Authors: Nadine Kotlarz, Claire Critchley, Michael Cuffney, Zachary R. Hopkins, Detlef R.U. Knappe, Jane A. Hoppin, North Carolina State University; Theresa Guillette, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research; David Collier, C. Suzanne Lea, East Carolina University; James McCord, Mark Strynar, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Published: Jan. 10, 2024 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology

Abstract:
BACKGROUND: A fluorochemical facility near Fayetteville, North Carolina, emitted per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids (PFEAs), a subgroup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), to air.
OBJECTIVE: Analyze PFAS in private wells near the facility and in blood from well users to assess relationships between PFEA levels in water and serum.
METHODS: In 2019, we recruited private well users into the GenX Exposure Study and collected blood and well water samples. We targeted 26 PFAS (11 PFEAs) in water and 27 PFAS (9 PFEAs) in serum using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We used regression modeling to explore relationships between water and serum PFAS. For the only PFEA detected frequently in water and serum, Nafion byproduct 2, we used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to assess well water exposure metrics and then adjusted for covariates that may influence Nafion byproduct 2 serum concentrations.
RESULTS: We enrolled 153 participants ages 6 and older (median=56 years) using 84 private wells. Most wells (74%) had ≥6 detectable PFEAs; median ∑PFEAs was 842 ng/L (interquartile range=197-1,760 ng/L). Low molecular weight PFEAs (PMPA, HFPO-DA [GenX], PEPA, PFO2HxA) were frequently detected in well water, had the highest median concentrations, but were not detectable in serum. Nafion byproduct 2 was detected in 73% of wells (median=14 ng/L) and 56% of serum samples (median=0.2 ng/mL). Cumulative dose (well concentration × duration at address) was positively associated with Nafion byproduct 2 serum levels and explained the most variability (10%). In the adjusted model, cumulative dose was associated with higher Nafion byproduct 2 serum levels while time outside the home was associated with lower levels.
SIGNIFICANCE: Serum biomarkers were not good measures of long-term exposure to low molecular weight PFEAs in a private well population. For Nafion byproduct 2, well water exposure metrics were associated with serum levels, particularly when incorporating exposure duration.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

DOI

10.1038/s41370-023-00626-x 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl ether acids in well water and blood serum from private well users residing by a fluorochemical facility near Fayetteville, North Carolina

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Jan-2024