Differential Accumulation of Short‑, Medium‑, and Long-Chain Chlorinated Paraffin in Free-Range Laying Hens from an E‑Waste Recycling Area

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are environmental pollutants of emerging concern. Long-chain CPs (LCCPs) are considered of lesser concern than other CPs in food due to their lower accumulation in most organisms. However, LCCPs have been shown to accumulate preferentially in birds. We used ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Orbitrap MS) to analyze CPs (C10–26Cl4–12) in tissues of free-range hens, their feed, and local soils. Feed was found to be the main source of CP intake. The CP carbon chain length had little impact on their absorption. C18-CPs were excreted in preference to C13-CPs by laying. The metabolic elimination rates of CPs (0.2 μg/mL) estimated using chicken liver microsomes were in the order C12Cl6 (91%) > C12Cl8 (57%) > C18Cl6 (12%) > C18Cl8 (6%). CPs with longer carbon chains accumulated preferentially in muscle and adipose tissues, and the accumulation of specific carbon chain lengths was related to the content and composition of different CPs in the intake source.