Occurrence of perfluorooctanesulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid and histopathology in eels from north Italian waters

•First study of perfluorinated alkylated substances in fish from the Po River, Italy.•Contamination levels in eels comparable to, or lower than, those found in other areas.•Wide range of perfluorooctanoic acid concentrations.•Highest accumulation in blood, lowest in muscle.•Moderate lesions in liver and absence of anomalies in gonad.