Perfluoroalkyl acids in various edible Baltic, freshwater, and farmed fish in Finland

•Domestic Baltic and freshwater fish are a source of PFAAs in the Finnish diet.•Total PFAA concentration in the Baltic and freshwater fishes varied from 0.31 to 46 ng g−1 fresh weight.•Farmed fish in Finland is not a significant dietary source of PFAA for humans.•PFAA levels in a single fish species are not representative of the PFAA contamination in a given area.

In this study, the concentration of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in various edible Finnish Baltic Sea, freshwater, and farmed fish species were analysed. PFAAs were present in all the Baltic and freshwater species, but were not observed in any farmed fish. The most abundant compound in each species was perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), comprising 41–100% of the total concentration. The total PFAA concentration varied considerably from 0.31 to 46 ng g−1 fresh weight. A notable variation in the PFAA concentrations implies that a single fish species alone is not suitable for monitoring PFAA contamination in a certain area. Our results confirm that wild domestic fish is one of the PFAA source in the Finnish diet.