Aquatic toxicity of perfluorooctane acid and perfluorooctyl sulfonates to zebrafish embryos

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are fully fluorinated organic molecule produced synthetically in an electrochemical fluorination process. With their unique physicochemical properties, it is expected that many fluorinated organic compounds will be resistant to hydrolysis, photolysis, biodegradation, or metabolism and has a tendency to bioaccumulated. Perfluorooctane Acid (C81`17COOH, PFOA) and Perfluorooctyl Sulfonates (C8F17SO3H, PFOS) are two of major fluorochemical produced. In this study, perfluorooctane acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctyl sulfonates (PFOS) were chose to test the aquatic toxicity of PFCs on zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) embryos, which is one of the most commonly used species in aquatic toxicological testing. The LC50(48h)values are 1005mg/L for PFOA, 107mg/L for PFOS, while the LC50(96h)values are 499mg/L for PFOA, 71mg/L for PFOS. The toxicity of PFOA is low, and PFOS is medium. PFOS is more embryotoxical than PFOA. Both PFOS and PFOA cause the zebrafish embryos and larval abnormal, including: edema, tail malformation, ventral and dorsal fin malformation and notocord curve.