PFAS Health Problems
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines a host of health effects associated with PFAS exposure, including cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease.
Resources
Articles
Webinars
PFAS health effects database: Protocol for a systematic evidence map
Environment International
Volume 130, September 2019, 104851
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is expanding and accelerating its contributions to scientific knowledge of human health and the environment, and to the health and well-being of people everywhere.
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is an interagency testing program headquartered at NIEHS. In 2016, based on evidence from prior studies, NTP concluded that PFOA and PFOS were a hazard to immune system function in humans.
The Endocrine Disrupter Exchange has a tool to allow you to see how PFAS interacts with the endocrine system.
Sept. 2016. Monograph on Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposures to PFOA and PFOS. Research Triangle Park, NC: National Toxicology Program [Accessed 25 February 2019]. Available Sept. 2016. Monograph on Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposures to PFOA and PFOS. Research Triangle Park, NC: National Toxicology Program [Accessed 25 February 2019].
PFAS pollutants promote cancer cell migration: Study
Jenny Blair, Medical Press, 12/14/23
PFAS Exposure Linked to Worse Bone Health in Young People
Sarah Whelan, Technology Networks, 12/8/23
Exposure to forever chemicals when pregnant could make your child obese
Sarah Bregal, Fast Company, 12/8/23
PFAS chemicals in water and consumer goods linked to rising thyroid cancer rates
Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, News Medical, 10/25/23
Two major studies reveal devastating effect of PFAS and food additives on male and female sexual health
Alexa Lardieri, Daily Mail, 10/22/23
PFAS remain a concern for hormone health, scientists conclude
European Society of Endocrinology, 10/20/23
Arsenic, Fluorescent Mice, and PFAS Among Topics at Tox Conference
October 2020
PFAS Research Shared at Federal Workshop Hosted by NIEHS
October 2020
Virtual Workshop Explores Newest PFAS Research
September 2020
PFAS Should Be Managed As a Single Class of Chemicals, Experts Say
August 2020
Canine Companions Shed Light on Chemicals and Disease
July 2020
Mauge-Lewis Researches Replacement PFAS in Firefighting Foams
May 2020
GenX Affects Function of Proteins That Protect the Brain
April 2020
Replacement Chemicals May Put Pregnancies at Risk
February 2020
PFOA Evaluated for Cancer Links by NTP Expert Panel
January 2020
Chemical Used in Sunscreen Analyzed for Potential Carcinogenicity
January 2020
North Carolina Scientists, Policymakers Take on PFAS
December 2019
PFAS Workshop Kicks off National Academies Initiative
November 2019
What are PFAS chemicals, and what are they doing to our health?
By Nadia Kounang, CNN Feb. 14, 2019
Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS
NPR
PFAS and Testicular Cancer: A Study of U.S. Air Force Servicemen
Mark Purdue, CHE, 11/16/23
PFAS, Phenols, and Parabens: Links to Hormone-Mediated Cancers
Max Aung, CHE, 10/19/23
Kids and Chemicals: PFAS Exposure and the Metabolism
Jesse Goodrich, CHE, 6/7/23
PFAS in the Arctic: Identifying exposure sources & health effects in Nunavik, Canada
Dr. Amira Aker, CHE, 2/28/23
The Urgent Need to Address PFAS to Protect Drinking Water and Public Health
Sarah Woodbury, Gretchen Salter, and Jesse Kiehl, CHE, 1/25/23
Additional Resources
PFAS-Tox Database — A first-of-its-kind database that assembles hundreds of toxicology studies on 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The database is aimed at assisting communities exposed to PFAS contamination and helping policy makers access scientific literature on these substances.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
FDA Statement (June 11, 2019) - Describes scientific work to understand PFAS found in food that Americans consume and findings from recent FDA surveys
NIH News in Health: Making a Healthier Home: Cast Toxins from Your Living Space (69KB) - NIH article outlining how people can limit their exposure to potentially toxic chemicals in their day-to-day lives.
PFAS Collection - A selection of high-impact articles and reviews published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives on the prevalence and accumulating health effects associated with PFAS exposure in humans and mouse models.
PFAS Contamination Map - A nationwide map of PFAS contamination created by the Environmental Working Group (EWG)
Scientists Dig Into Hard Questions About The Fluorinated Pollutants Known As PFAS - NPR story featuring comments on PFAS by NIEHS and NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Technical Fact Sheet
A Quick Guide to Buying PFAS Free Products - a fact sheet created by the VT PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition that can be downloaded
European Union Human Biomonitoring Dashboard - A dashboard displaying summary statistics for human biomonitoring data collected within the European Union. Under “Select Substance Group”, choose PFAS, then biomarkers and matrix of interest.
US Center for Disease Control National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (NHANES) - The report provides biomonitoring data on levels of selected PFAS in blood serum and urine samples from the general US population. Under “Step 1,” select “Analysis of Whole Blood, Serum, and Urine Samples.” Under “Step 2,” click “Show Chemical List” and choose “Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Surfactants” or “Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Urine.” Alternatively, in Step 2, use the Search box and search using “fluor.” You must select a single chemical of interest.
EU Information Platform for Chemical Monitoring - The Platform provides environmental and biomonitoring chemical data collections from European Commission bodies, member states, international and national organizations, and research communities. PFAS may be found by chemical name or CAS. After clicking on data source, click “download table” to obtain all data, even if no data shows in the preview table. For non-public data, contact information is shown for data owners.