Category: Featured Database

Author: Calafat, Antonia M.; Wong, Lee-Yang; Kuklenyik, Zsuzsanna; Reidy, John A.; Needham, Larry L. Description: BACKGROUND: Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) have been used since the 1950s in numerous commercial applications. Exposure of the general U.S. population to PFCs is widespread. Since 2002, the manufacturing practices for PFCs in the United States have changed considerably. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and eight other PFCs in a representative 2003-2004 sample of the general U.S. population > or…

Author: Lindstrom, Andrew B.; Strynar, Mark J.; Delinsky, Amy D.; Nakayama, Shoji F.; McMillan, Larry; Libelo, E. Laurence; Neill, Michael; Thomas, Lee Description: Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been produced and used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products for many decades. Their resistance to degradation has led to their widespread distribution in the environment, but little is known about how humans become exposed. Recent studies have demonstrated that the application of PFC contaminated biosolids can have important effects on…

Author: Fenton, Suzanne E.; Ducatman, Alan; Boobis, Alan; DeWitt, Jamie C.; Lau, Christopher; Ng, Carla; Smith, James S.; Roberts, Stephen M. Description: Reports of environmental and human health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have greatly increased in the peer-reviewed literature. The goals of the present review are to assess the state of the science regarding toxicological effects of PFAS and to develop strategies for advancing knowledge on the health effects of this large family of chemicals. Currently, much of the toxicity data available for PFAS are for a…

Author: Gluge, Juliane; Scheringer, Martin; Cousins, Ian T.; DeWitt, Jamie C.; Goldenman, Gretta; Herzke, Dorte; Lohmann, Rainer; Ng, Carla A.; Trier, Xenia; Wang, Zhanyun Description: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern because of their high persistence (or that of their degradation products) and their impacts on human and environmental health that are known or can be deduced from some well-studied PFAS. Currently, many different PFAS (on the order of several thousands) are used in a wide range of applications, and there is no comprehensive source of information on…

Author: Kelly, Barry C.; Ikonomou, Michael G.; Blair, Joel D.; Surridge, Blair; Hoover, Dale; Grace, Richard; Gobas, Frank A. P. C. Description: To better understand the bioaccumulation behavior of perfluoroalkyl contaminants (PFCs), we conducted a comparative analysis of PFCs and lipophilic organohalogens in a Canadian Arctic marine food web. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctansulfoamide (PFOSA), and C7-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) ranged between 0.01 and 0.1 ng x g(-1) dry wt in sediments and 0.1 and 40 ng x g(-1) wet wt in biota, which was equivalent to or…

Author: Johnson, Gwynn R. Description: The land application of digested sewage sludge (biosolids) is widely employed across the globe. Studies show that biosolids contain significant amounts of inorganic and organic materials, as well as emerging pollutants, including per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). With the wide range of pollutants commonly reported in biosolids, the potential risks associated with long-term land application operations are concerning. In this study, PFAS in surface soils, deeper soils into the vadose zone, and immediately-underlying groundwater was measured at an agricultural station with a long record…

Author: Rodgers, Kathryn M.; Swartz, Christopher H.; Occhialini, James; Bassignani, Philip; McCurdy, Michelle; Schaider, Laurel A. Description: PFAS are persistent and toxic chemicals used in many commercial and industrial applications that are often added to consumer products, including those used by children and adolescents, to impart water and stain resistance. Since product labels rarely list chemical additives, including PFAS, we evaluated whether other information on product labels can be used by consumers to select products without PFAS. We selected 93 items marketed to or often used by children and adolescents…