• Derivation of Predicted no Effect Concentration of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) in Water and Soil Based on Species Sensitivity Distribution Considering Mode of Action

  • Sang-Gyu Yoon1ㆍWoo Hyun Kim2ㆍYu-Jin Jung1ㆍDahee Hong3ㆍJiyoung Kim1ㆍSung-Hwan Jang1,2,3ㆍTae-Woong Kim1,2,3ㆍIhn-Sil Kwak4ㆍJinsung An1,2,3*

  • 1Department of Smart City Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea
    2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea
    3Department of Civil and Environmental System Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea
    4Department of Ocean Integrated Science, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 59626, South Korea

  • 독성기전을 고려한 종 민감도 분포 기반 수계 및 토양 내 과불화옥탄술폰산(PFOS)의 예측 무영향 농도 산정

  • 윤상규1ㆍ김우현2ㆍ정유진1ㆍ홍다희3ㆍ김지영1ㆍ장승환1,2,3ㆍ김태웅1,2,3ㆍ곽인실4ㆍ안진성1,2,3*

  • 1한양대학교 대학원 스마트시티공학과
    2한양대학교 ERICA 건설환경공학과
    3한양대학교 대학원 건설환경시스템공학과
    4전남대학교 해양융합과학과

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study, estimates the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) for the protection of organisms in aquatic and soil environments, considering the mode of action of Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). PNECs were derived using the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach to estimate the hazardous concentration for 5% of species (HC5), with applying assessment factors. Chronic toxicity data on PFOS were collected through the USEPA's ECOTOX database and literature reviews, and classified by toxicity endpoints. PNECs were then derived for each of seven toxicity endpoints that met the criteria for SSD fitting. For aquatic organisms, the PNEC for PFOS, based on all available chronic toxicity data, was determined to be 0.53 μg/L. The PNECs for development, genetics, enzymes, growth, reproduction, population, and biochemical biomarkers were 0.28, 0.43, 0.83, 0.90, 2.17, 111.17, and 3.53 μg/L, respectively. The lowest PNEC was observed when the toxic endpoint was set as development, which is considered to be due to the mode of action of PFOS, known to cause developmental toxicity by disrupting the endocrine system of organisms. For soil organisms, toxicity data were insufficient to estimate PNECs for individual endpoints, so all available data were used to estimate a PNEC of 0.75 mg/kg. Estimating PNECs that consider the mode of action of contaminants is expected to reduce the likelihood of underestimating protection levels for environmental contaminants. Additionally, this study highlights the need for ecotoxicological assessments for individual toxicity endpoints of emerging contaminants, including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in soil environments.


Keywords: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, Emerging contaminants, Risk assessment, Ecotoxicologically acceptable concentration, Ecotoxicological assessment

This Article

  • 2024; 29(5): 27-36

    Published on Oct 31, 2024

  • 10.7857/JSGE.2024.29.5.027
  • Received on Oct 7, 2024
  • Revised on Oct 17, 2024
  • Accepted on Oct 22, 2024

Correspondence to

  • Jinsung An

  • 1Department of Smart City Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea
    2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea
    3Department of Civil and Environmental System Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea

  • E-mail: jsan86@hanyang.ac.kr