The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences (XMAS 2025)

Trophodynamics of many emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in marine food webs remain poorly understood. Here, seawater and marine organism samples were collected from the northern South China Sea to investigate the trophic biomagnification potential of legacy and emerging PFAS. Significant trophic magnification was observed for 22 PFAS, where the trophic magnification factors of cis- and trans-perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS) isomers were reported for the first time. Perfluorohexanoic acid was trophic-magnified, possibly attributed to the PFAS precursor degradation.
Toxicokinetics of emerging PFAS have rarely been reported. Here, tissue-specific uptake and depuration kinetics of PFECHS and 6:2 and 8:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonates were studied in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma). Evident bioconcentration was found for these three PFAS in the exposed fish, which showed longer residence times in eyes than in other tissues; trans-PFECHS showed higher bioconcentration potential than cis-PFECHS, and PFECHS exposure resulted in significant alterations in multiple proteins associated with eye function in medaka.

Trophic biomagnification,Bioconcentration,Exposure,Isomer,PFAS