Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenols (BPs) in the UK and China

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Gao, Chuanzi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3186-3338 (2023). Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenols (BPs) in the UK and China. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are synthetic organic chemicals with high potential for environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and high toxicity1,2. In addition, most POPs are regarded as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). As either POPs or/and EDCs, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenol compounds (BPs) are of high concern as they are ubiquitous in the environment and can have serious adverse effects on human health. However, even though there have been several studies on BPA and PFAS, their fate and behaviour in the environment and impact on human health remain unclear, especially for emerging BPs and PFAS.
It is thus of great interest to understand the environmental levels of a group of high-concern PFAS and BPs, especially in some special sites such as densely industrialised and urbanised areas. Also, understanding the levels of human internal exposure to PFAS and BPs in residents of these sites is important for better knowledge of the effects of these pollutants on human health. In addition, to further understand the human health risk, it is necessary to assess the daily exposure to PFAS and BPs for different age groups under different exposure scenarios. Finally, as PFAS are one of the increasingly concerned POPs and EDCs in recent years3, the fate and behaviour of PFAS in drinking water around the world is of great interest and it is important to shed light on these aspects.
This thesis aims to tackle some of these critical knowledge gaps, to improve current understanding of the sources, environmental fate, and human health risk of PFAS and BPs in the UK and China. More specifically, this thesis will: (i) explore the human internal exposure levels to nine target BPs based on serum samples from a densely industrialized area in China, and evaluate their mechanism of influence on human health by biomarkers (Chapter 3); (ii) measure the concentrations of ten PFAS in drinking water (tap water and bottled water) in the UK, China, and worldwide and explore the possible factors influencing their fate and behaviour in drinking water (Chapter 4); (iii) measure concentrations of twelve PFAS and nine BPs in the tap water and outdoor air of Chinese urban villages, as well as the urinary concentrations of residents living in such locations, to assess the exposure sources and human health risks of these pollutants (Chapter 5 and 6).

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):