Exposure assessment to bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) in wild boars by hair analysis

Bisphenols are widely used in various branches of industry for the production of plastics. They penetrate to the natural environment and thus living organisms. As endocrine disruptors, bisphenols have adverse effects on various internal organs and systems. Contrary to humans, the knowledge of the exposure of wild terrestrial mammals to bisphenols is extremely limited. Therefore, this study for the first time assessed the exposure level of wild boars to three bisphenols commonly used in industry (i.e. bisphenol A - BPA, bisphenol S - BPS and bisphenol F - BPF) using hair sample analysis in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The presence of BPA and/or BPS has been noted in the samples collected from >80 % of animals included in the study (n = 54), while the presence of BPF was not found in any sample. At least one of the bisphenols was present in every sample tested. Mean concentrations of BPA and BPS in the hair of wild boars were 151.40 ± 135.10 pg/mg dry weight (dw.) and 29.40 ± 36.97 pg./mg dw, respectively. Concentrations of BPA and BPS in females were statistically higher than in males (p < 0.05). Moreover, statistically significantly higher concentration levels of BPA (and not BPS) in the areas with higher degree of industrialization and higher human population density were also found. This is the first study concerning the use of hair samples to assess the exposure of wild terrestrial mammals to bisphenols. The obtained results show that an analysis of the hair may be a useful tool of biomonitoring bisphenols in wild animals. The presence of BPA and BPS in wild boar hair in relatively high concentration also suggests that these substances may have an influence on the health status not only in humans and aquatic animals, but also in wild terrestrial mammals. However, many aspects connected with this issue are not clear and require further study.