PFAS in the buzz: Seasonal biomonitoring with honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bee-collected pollen

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2025-06-30 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126750

Viktoria Müller , Jörg Feldmann , Eileen Prieler , Robert Brodschneider

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Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging environmental contaminants with known persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and ecotoxicological relevance. This study investigates the occurrence, distribution, and potential exposure pathways of PFAS in honey bee-related matrices (pollen, forager bees, hive bees). Samples were collected from six sites over a full season representing diverse land uses (urban, semi-urban, rural, and agricultural). A total of nine different PFAS were detected across 90 samples, with short-chain compounds such as 4:2 FTS, PFPS, and PFBS predominating. Hive bees exhibited the highest average sum of target PFAS concentration (5.29 ng g^ꟷ1), followed by forager bees (1.93 ng g^ꟷ1), and pollen (1.10 ng g^ꟷ1). Differences in PFAS occurrence among sample types, especially PFPS between forager and hive bees, suggested various exposure routes, including pollen ingestion, atmospheric deposition, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Temporal and spatial differences were notable. Site-specific PFAS patterns highlighted potential contamination sources, such as fluorinated pesticide use, while seasonal variation suggested influence from plant phenology and rainfall. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed the dominance of shared PFAS profiles, with some outlier samples exhibiting unique signatures. PFPS and PFBS were positively correlated with total fluorine (TF) concentrations, while 4:2 FTS showed a strong site-specific association. Extractable organic fluorine (EOF) remained below detection limits (800 ng F g^ꟷ1), but TF was present in all samples above LOD (500 ng F g^ꟷ1) confirming the presence of additional unidentified fluorinated compounds. Although EOF and PFAS concentrations varied, we showed that forager bees can introduce PFAS in the hive, either on their bodies, or through contaminated resources such as nectar or pollen. These findings demonstrate the suitability of honey bees as bioindicators for PFAS contamination but emphasise the need for harmonized sampling to fully assess PFAS exposure dynamics.

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嗡嗡声中的PFAS：蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）和蜜蜂采集花粉的季节性生物监测

全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）是一种新兴的环境污染物，具有已知的持久性、生物蓄积潜力和生态毒理学相关性。本研究探讨了PFAS在蜜蜂相关基质（花粉、觅食蜂、蜂群）中的发生、分布和潜在暴露途径。样本在整个季节从六个地点收集，代表不同的土地用途（城市、半城市、农村和农业）。在90份样品中共检测到9种不同的PFAS，其中以4:2 FTS、PFPS和PFBS等短链化合物为主。蜂群靶PFAS平均浓度最高（5.29 ng gꟷ1），其次是觅食蜂（1.93 ng gꟷ1）和花粉（1.10 ng gꟷ1）。PFAS在不同样本类型之间的发生差异，特别是觅食蜂和蜂群之间的PFPS差异，提示了不同的暴露途径，包括摄入花粉、大气沉积和接触污染表面。时间和空间差异显著。特定地点的PFAS模式突出了潜在污染源，如氟化农药的使用，而季节变化则表明受植物物候和降雨的影响。主成分分析（PCA）证实了共享PFAS谱的优势，一些异常样本显示出独特的特征。PFPS和PFBS与总氟（TF）浓度呈正相关，而4:2 FTS表现出强烈的位点特异性关联。可提取有机氟（EOF）仍低于检出限（800 ng F gꟷ1），但所有样品中均存在TF，高于LOD (500 ng F gꟷ1)，证实存在其他未识别的氟化化合物。虽然EOF和PFAS的浓度不同，但我们发现觅食蜂可以在蜂巢中引入PFAS，要么通过它们的身体，要么通过被污染的资源，如花蜜或花粉。这些发现证明了蜜蜂作为PFAS污染的生物指标的适用性，但强调了协调采样以充分评估PFAS暴露动态的必要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.