Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate in Nile Perch and tilapia from gulf of Lake Victoria

Abstract

A report of the levels of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in the fish from
Lake Victoria is presented. Two fish species namely Lates niloticus (Nile perch) and Oreochromis niloticus (Nile
tilapia) were obtained from Winam gulf of Lake Victoria, Kenya and analysed for PFOS and PFOA in muscles and
liver using LC/MS/MS. Concentrations value of PFOS in Nile perch muscles of up to 10.50 and 35.70 ng/g for
liver samples were obtained. Nile tilapia concentration values were of up to 12.40 and 23.70 ng/g for muscles
and liver samples respectively. The accuracy and precision of the method were validated, and the effectiveness
of the method in determining the contents of these two perfluorinated compounds in fish matrice was also
demonstrated. The lowest limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.5 ng/g and limit of detection was 0.05 ng/g. Typical
values for precision obtained were 0.15 – 3.8% for HPLC/MS/MS, with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1000
ng/ml.