Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging environmental crisis. Deemed forever chemicals, many congeners bioaccumulate and are incredibly persistent in the environment due to the presence of the strong carbon-fluorine covalent bonds. Notable PFAS compounds include perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and GenX. Robust toxicological knowledge exists for these substances, but regulatory decisions based on this knowledge has fallen behind. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has addressed this issue with the PFAS Action Plan and EPA Council on PFAS, but the regulatory framework is severely lacking. Currently, no federal regulations or standards exist. Many occupational and non-occupational human cohorts exist that can lend knowledge on the environmental implications of PFAS and associated health effects. Occupationally, firefighters face significant exposure risks due to use of PFAS containing aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) and personal protective equipment contamination. Non-occupationally, wastewater discharge in North Carolina led to chronic and widespread residential exposure to GenX via drinking water contamination. This public health review seeks to convey the current and future significance of PFAS as an environmental contaminate, to lend considerations on regulatory frameworks within the USA, and to help guide and promote the need for future epidemiological studies in order to tackle this environmental emergency. While the PFAS Action Plan creates a scientific and regulatory foundation, it is important to take these lessons and apply them to future environmental health issues.
Highlights
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made organofluorine chemical compounds that contain multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain with the moiety Cn F2n+1 —[1]
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) have been the primary focus of epidemiological studies, toxicological data, and regulations due to the timing of their discoveries and past industrial usage, but other PFAS have been garnering more attention and emphasis
The chemistry of PFAS was discovered in the late 1930s, and widespread usage in the United States began in the 1940s [5]
Summary
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made organofluorine chemical compounds that contain multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain with the moiety Cn F2n+1 —[1]. PFOA and PFOS have been the primary focus of epidemiological studies, toxicological data, and regulations due to the timing of their discoveries and past industrial usage, but other PFAS have been garnering more attention and emphasis With such an emerging public health and occupational health issue, there are several gaps in knowledge that must be addressed: toxicological mechanisms, hazard characterizations, regulatory frameworks, and creating longitudinal occupational and non-occupational cohorts to follow over time. With thousands of various congeners, understanding their environmental fate, transport, and potential for toxicity is critical in helping address these gaps Leveraging modern resources, such as national and state biomonitoring programs and information sharing databases, is key in navigating prospective cohort studies, completing toxicological hazard profiles, and evaluating remediation processes.
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