• CDC – PFAS Fact Sheet
• EPA – Basic Information on PFAS
• CDC – Search Results on PFAS
• EPA – Technical Fact Sheet – PFOS and PFOA

PFAS are a family of human-made chemicals that have been used for decades to make non-stick products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. The older PFAS compounds, sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals,” are extremely stable and do not break down in the environment. Common uses of PFAS include 1) nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, 2) coatings on food packaging (especially microwave popcorn bags and fast food wrappers), 3) components of fire-fighting foam, and 4) many industrial applications.

In recent years, analytical methods and the instruments used to detect PFAS in the environment have evolved. Two decades ago, only a few PFAS could be detected and measured. The science in the past also suggested that exposure to very small amounts of PFAS were not a health concern. We are now able to measure extremely small amounts of a number of PFAS, and newer studies suggest that long-term exposure to PFAS even in this range may affect vulnerable members of the population.

Health Concerns

Because PFAS are very stable, they have been found in soil, sediments, water and other environmental compartments. Studies show some PFAS travel through soil and easily enter groundwater, where they may move long distances. Some experts suggest PFAS also disburse widely in air, either through evaporation or sublimation.

PFAS have been released to the environment through industrial spills and disposal. PFAS compounds are now found in many species of wildlife around the world, including bald eagles, and mink in the mid-western United States and polar bears in remote areas of the Arctic. PFOS is a specific PFAS that can accumulate to levels of concern in fish.

Studies show nearly all people have some PFAS in their blood, regardless of their age. The PFAS most commonly found in human blood are PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFNA. People are exposed through food, water, dust, or consumer products. Some PFAS can build up and stay in the human body for many years. They can also slowly decline if the exposure stops.

Scientists are actively studying whether PFAS cause health problems in people. Researchers have found links between PFAS and certain human health outcomes. In some studies, higher levels of PFAS in a person’s body were associated with higher cholesterol, changes to liver function, reduced immune response, thyroid disease, and increased kidney and testicular cancer. There are many different PFAS, and health effects are expected to be slightly different for each PFAS compound in the PFAS family.

Studies in animals have shown some health effects such as changes in developmental, liver and thyroid function, decreased immune response, and increased kidney weight and cellular changes. Increased tumor growth was also observed in certain organs in animals exposed to very high doses of PFOA.

Research continues on PFAS and health effects such as birth outcomes, hormone balance, cholesterol levels, immune response, and carcinogenicity. While it is believed that the acute health risks for people exposed to sub part-per-billion PFAS are low, we do not yet have adequate information about chronic toxicity at these low levels. In addition, the latest information indicates that fetuses and infants are more vulnerable to even low levels of PFAS.

PFAS are not the only Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs). Other examples of CECs include pharmaceuticals and personal care products, microbeads and microplastics, flame retardants, and endocrine disrupting chemicals. These chemicals and materials are being detected with increasing frequency in all environmental media including surface water, groundwater, and drinking water. Some of these compounds are impacting aquatic life and can bioaccumulate in humans. Sources of these pollutants include agriculture, urban runoff, ordinary household products (such as soaps and disinfectants), and pharmaceuticals that are disposed to sewage treatment plants and subsequently discharged to surface waters.