The number of chemicals in the anthroposphere is increasing and some of them end up in humans. A literature search was made to assess which anthropogenic organic contaminants (OCs) that have been analysed in blood from the general population. The reviewed articles were used to create a database of studies [human blood database (HBDB), containing 559 OCs] reporting blood analyses made worldwide. All studies analysing blood from the Swedish population were compiled into a second database [Swedish exposure database (SEDB), containing 166 OCs] listing blood concentrations of OCs. Data from the SEDB showed decreasing levels of regulated chemicals in blood over time, indicating that regulation had made an impact. The Hazard Index (HI) approach was used as a qualitative mixture risk assessment of the OCs with established human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GVs) and blood levels in the SEDB. Nine HBM-GVs were found and the HI of the corresponding OCs/groups of OCs showed that a risk of adverse effects in the general population could not be excluded, which is a cause for concern considering that only a fraction of the analysed OCs in the SEDB were included. This study presents the OCs identified in human blood and concentration time trends. The study highlights the lack of HBM-GVs needed for mixture risk assessments to assess the combined risk of chemical exposure to the general population. 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected worldwide, from the deep seas to polar regions. A previous review showed that PFAS are risk drivers of the chemical mixture present in human blood. This study focused on establishing the PFAS exposure of a Swedish subpopulation and investigated whether the exposure poses a risk of adverse health effects. Human serum from 60 blood donors in Stockholm, Sweden, was analyzed. A target method including 32 PFAS analytes and over 270 suspect features was used to detect and quantify PFAS. Twenty-six PFAS were quantified, and 7 suspect PFAS features (6 H-PFCAs and PFECHS) were semi-quantified. Nine mixture risk assessment (MRA) strategies were used to assess the risk of health outcomes. Fifteen effect levels were derived and used, along with 15 already established values. The certainty of various derivation techniques was discussed. The MRAs showed that the entire studied population exceeded some of the risk thresholds, with effects including high cholesterol and immune suppression. However, the certainty was lower when deriving these two effect levels. The MRA, using human biomonitoring guidance values (high certainty), concluded that for 63 % of the individuals, a risk for adverse health effects cannot be excluded. This study has demonstrated that there is a reason for concern regarding PFAS exposure in the general population of Sweden. To our knowledge, this is the first time the H-PFCAs have been semi-quantified in human blood using a reference standard.

Synthetic phenolic compounds are widely used in plastics and personal care products, leading to potential high human exposure. This study aimed to develop two multi-target analytical methods to quantify phenolic compounds in human serum, including free and conjugated synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs), bisphenols, parabens, and UV filters. The two methods were applied to 30 human serum samples from young adults (15 females and 15 males) living in Stockholm, Sweden. An average recovery of 73 % (range 36-125 %) and good reproducibility (RSD <30 %) were established for 37 target analytes, and another four analytes were semi-quantified. Twenty-one target analytes were found above quantification levels. Notable, five SPAs, namely 2,2'-methylenebis(4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) (AO2246), 4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-di-tert-butylphenol) (AO4426), 4-tert octylphenol (4-tOP), butylade hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were quantified in >93 % of samples, and with median concentrations between 1.4 (BHA) and 520 ng/g (AO2246). Other compounds quantified in the samples were bisphenol B (quantification frequency 57 %) and methylparaben (quantification frequency 87 %), with median concentrations of 0.38 and 1.6 ng/g respectively. Additionally, two features were semi-quantified using suspect screening: Fenozan (an SPA metabolite, 3-(3,5-Di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid) and benzophenone-4 (a UV filter, 5-benzoyl-4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzenesulfonic acid). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time AO4426, 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (BHT-COOH), 2-tert-butylbenzene-1,4-diol (TBHQ), bisphenol B, and Fenozan have been found in human blood. The finding of SPAs in human blood indicates high human exposure and needs further investigation.