Perfluoroalkyl substances associations with morphometric health indices in three fish species from differentially contaminated water bodies in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract Environmental perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) concentrations have increased in the last decades, although their behaviour in the environment and potential deleterious effects are still unclear. In this context, the present study aimed to assess potential associations among these compounds in three fish species from differentially contaminated areas in southeastern Brazil, and morphometric indices used to assess environmental exposure effects, Fulton’s condition factor (FCF), the Hepatossomatic index (HSI) and the weight to length scaling coefficient (SC). Fish samples were collected from three differentially contaminated study areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Guanabara Bay (GB), the Paraiba do Sul River (PS) and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (RFL). Silver scabbardfish (Lepidopus caudatus) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) were sampled from both the PS (N=5 scabbardfish and N=9 croaker) and GB (N=10 for both species), while mullet (Mugil liza) were sampled from GB (N=15) and RFL (N=10). Results indicate that some of the morphometric indices seem to be directly affected by PFAS contaminant trends. Significant differences (p