Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in citrus on state of São Paulo, Brazil: occurrence, sulfluramid as precursor and potential human health risks

• Grant number: 25/12183-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique da Silveira Neves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/06443-0 - Bioavailability and bioaccessibility of pesticides and legacy pollutants in food: a public health risk assessment and creation of a risk-benefit tool for Brazilian consumers, AP.GR

Abstract

Since the 1960s, the production and sale of commodities have been among the drivers of the Brazilian national economy. Brazil allocates approximately 580 thousand hectares to orange cultivation. São Paulo represents the state with approximately two-thirds of the planting territory and three-quarters of the production of this citrus fruit. In 2011, the country established itself as the largest user of pesticides in the world. Sulfluramid is widely used in Brazil as an insecticide (ant-killer) for several species of leaf-cutter ants, such as Atta spp. and Acromyrmex spp., present in citrus plantations. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), pollutants resulting from the aerobic biotransformation of sulfluramide, are the leading representatives of the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), synthetic organic compounds of alkyl chains with multiple carbon-fluorine bonds. The translocation and accumulation of PFAS in foods grown on soil are closely related to human exposure and food safety as a whole. High exposures to PFOS and PFOA have evidence of a relationship with immunotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and metabolic alterations. Thus, the present study aims to develop an analytical methodology for preparing samples of Brazilian citrus and related products for the quantification of PFOS and PFOA, whether or not derived from the degradation of sulfluramid. In addition, this association with sulfluramid levels will also be evaluated, as well as the health risks associated with this exposure. (AU)