Brominated flame retardants (PBDEs and HBCDs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Central Italy

Twenty-six samples of wild boar liver and muscle from the Central Apennine Mountain (Italy) were analysed for 19 perfluoro-alkyl substances (PFASs), 10 polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and 3 hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). All samples were analysed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for PBDEs and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for PFASs and HBCDs, using an in-house developed analytical procedure. The brominated flame retardants (BFR) levels in livers were negligible: Σ10PBDEs reached a maximum value of 0.079 μg/kg, whereas HBCDs were not quantified in almost all of the samples analysed. BFR concentrations in muscles were higher, but not significantly therefore, for Σ10PBDEs lower bound, a mean value of 0.045 μg/kg (0.005-0.155 μg/kg range) was measured, while α-HBCD was quantified with a maximum of 0.084 μg/kg in 9 of the samples. Only two muscles contained all 3 HBCD isomers at concentrations of approximately 0.200 μg/kg. Σ19PFAS in the 26 wild boar livers was in the range 31.9-228 μg/kg, with a mean value of 87.7 μg/kg, reaching levels significantly higher than in muscles, which exhibited a mean concentration of 3.08 μg/kg (0.59-9.12 μg/kg range). Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was the most prevalent compound in all liver samples, accounting for more than half of the total PFASs contamination, confirming that the liver is the primary target organ for PFOS exposure Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA), which accounts for 25-30-% of the total contamination, was the most abundant compound in the muscle, followed by PFOS. The estimated daily intake (EDIs) of BFRs remained below the estimated chronic human daily dietary intake (Dr,h) defined from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Furthermore, the exposure to PFASs in muscle was 7.7 times lower than the EFSA's tolerable daily intake (TDI). In contrast, exposure due to liver consumption was significant: the EDI exceeded the EFSA's 2020 TDI by approximately 7 times.