Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals found in numerous everyday products, are recognized as emerging contaminants due to their widespread use and persistence. They have been detected in various environments, including water sources and seafood. Bivalves, such as clams and oysters, can accumulate PFAS from contaminated waters, potentially posing risks to consumers. While post-harvest depuration procedures show promise in reducing PFAS levels in bivalves, significant variations exist in their effectiveness, and the factors influencing PFAS elimination remain unclear. Additionally, there's a shift towards newer PFAS compounds with a limited understanding of their bioaccumulation dynamics. Addressing these gaps, a proposed research project aims to develop tools for predicting PFAS levels in pre-harvest bivalves and develop effective post-harvest strategiesto lower PFAS levels in edible bivalves.This research project aims to develop tools for both detecting PFAS levels in bivalves before harvesting and reducing these levels post-harvest. This study seeks to enhance our understanding of PFAS accumulation in bivalves by investigating how various environmental factors influence PFAS uptake and elimination in bivalves through field observations and laboratory experiments.Additionally, experiments will be conducted to explore effective post-harvest methods for reducing PFAS levels in bivalves, including depuration under different environmental conditions. The findings will lead to the development of predictive models and practical strategies to mitigate PFAS contamination in bivalves harvested from coastal areas, contributing to food safety and public health.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
100%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Bivalves are important dietary items for many human populations in coastal areas. Providing safe and healthy bivalve shellfish is key to ensuring public health.We propose a research project with an overarching goal of developing predictive tools for detecting PFAS burden in pre-harvest bivalves and post-harvest procedures for effectively lowering PFAS levels in edible bivalves. As the crucial step toward this research goal, we hope to use this seed grant to develop fundamental knowledge on how various environmental factors affect the PFAS uptake and depuration in bivalves based on both field observations and laboratory experiments. We have three objectives for this project:O1: Exploring primary factors driving spatiotemporal variability of PFAS in wild bivalve populations in Delaware Bay.O2: Developing post-harvest methods for reducing PFAS burden in bivalves.O3: Investigating pathways of PFAS uptake and depuration in bivalves.
Project Methods
To develop predictive tools for detecting PFAS burden in pre-harvest bivalves, wewill conduct field research to characterize the prevalence and spatiotemporal variability of PFAS content in three types ofwild bivalve populations (Ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa), Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), Hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria))in Delaware Bay and its tributaries.At each location, we will collect about 30 organisms per species for biometric evaluation andassess factors relevant to shellfish physiology and PFAS bioaccumulation, including their biometrics and the surrounding water quality parameters (e.g., PFAS content in water and sediment, dissolved organic carbon, salinity, temperature, turbidity, pH, and chlorophyll a). Using data from the field research,we willdevelop aregression-based statistical model for predicting PFAS content in bivalves living in the estuary. In addition, we will use oysters as model species in laboratory and field experiments to explore effective post-harvest methods for reducing PFAS content in bivalves (e.g., varying salinity, DOC, and holding time in the post-harvest setting). The model performance will be further evaluated usingChesapeake Bay's oyster and water quality data.To develop effective postharvest methods to reduce PFAS content in bivalves, we will conductexperiments to investigatethe efficiency of oyster PFAS depuration under different environmental conditions (i.e., salinity and DOC, deputation time, previous exposure pathways - diet vs. water). We will also conductpost-harvest PFAS depuration experiments in the field by moving highly exposed oysters to a cleaner environmentto evaluatewhether laboratory results are transferable to field observations.