Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Surveillance in Bufo gargarizans from Inlet Watersheds of Chaohu Lake, China: Tissue Distribution and Bioaccumulation Potential

Amphibians are sensitive biomonitors of environmental pollutants but reports regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of synthetic organofluorine substances, are limited. In this study, samples of water and Chinese toads (Bufo gargarizans) were collected in Chaohu Lake, China. Tissue-specific bioaccumulation characteristics of 39 PFAS, including 19 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), 8 emerging PFAS, and 12 PFAA precursors, were investigated, and the levels of some biochemical indicators were determined. The highest PFAS concentrations were found in the liver [215.97 ng/g dry weight (dw)] of Chinese toads, followed by gonads (135.42 ng/g dw) and intestine (114.08 ng/g dw). A similar tissue distribution profile was found between legacy and emerging PFAS in the toads, and the occurrence of two emerging PFAS, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-propanoate (HFPO-DA) and 6:2 hydrogen-substituted polyfluorooctane ether sulfonate (6:2 H-PFESA) in the amphibians were for the first time reported. Field-based bioaccumulation factors of HFPO-DA were higher than perfluorooctanoic acid, indicating the higher bioaccumulation potential of this emerging PFAS than the legacy C8 compound. Males had significantly higher gonad PFAS levels than females while estradiol levels in gonads increased with increasing concentrations of certain PFAS (e.g., 6:2 H-PFESA), implying that PFAS may trigger estrogenic effects in the toads, especially for male toads.