SREL Reprint #3551

Analysis of PFAAs in American alligators part 1: Concentrations in alligators harvested for consumption during South Carolina public hunts

Jessica J. Tipton1, Louis J. Guillette Jr2, Susan Lovelace1, Benjamin B. Parrott3, Thomas R. Rainwater4,
and Jessica L. Reiner5

1College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424, USA
2Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Charleston, SC 29425, USA
3University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory,
Aiken, SC 29802, USA
4Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center & Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science,
Clemson University, P.O. Box 596, Georgetown, SC 29442, USA
5National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Sciences Division,
Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29412, USA

Abstract: Environmental contamination resulting from the production or release of harmful chemicals can lead to negative consequences for wildlife and human health. Perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) were historically produced as protective coatings for many household items and currently persist in the environment, wildlife, and humans. PFAAs have been linked to immune suppression, endocrine disruption, and developmental toxicity in wildlife and laboratory studies. This study examines the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, as an important indicator of ecosystem contamination and a potential pathway for PFAA exposure in humans. Alligator meat harvested in the 2015 South Carolina (SC) public hunt season and prepared for human consumption was collected and analyzed for PFAAs to determine meat concentrations and relationships with animal body size (total length), sex, and location of harvest. Of the 15 PFAAs analyzed, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was found in all alligator meat samples and at the highest concentrations (median 6.73 ng/g). No relationship was found between PFAA concentrations and total length or sex. Concentrations of one or all compounds varied significantly across sampling locations, with alligators harvested in the Middle Coastal hunt unit having the highest PFOS concentrations (median 16.0 ng/g; p = 0.0001). Alligators harvested specifically from Berkley County, SC (located in the Middle Coastal hunt unit) had the highest PFOS concentrations and the greatest number of PFAAs detected (p < 0.0001). The site-specific nature of PFAA concentrations in alligator meat observed in this study suggests a source of PFAA contamination in Berkley County, SC.

Keywords: Perfluorinated alkyl acids; American alligators; South Carolina; Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS); Dietary exposure

SREL Reprint #3551

Tipton, J. J., L. J. Guillette Jr., S. Lovelace, B. B. Parrott, T. R. Rainwater, and J. L. Reiner. 2017. Analysis of PFAAs in American alligators part 1: Concentrations in alligators harvested for consumption during South Carolina public hunts. Journal of Environmental Sciences 61(2017): 24-30.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).