Wikibooks: Lentis/The PFAS Controversy

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Blair; Rigby; Jama
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Lentis/The_PFAS_Controversy

= Introduction = Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in many consumer goods including electronics personal care products and kitchenware. They reduce friction and repel water dirt and oil making them desirable for industrial applications such as firefighting foams medical devices and pesticides Kissa E. (2001). Fluorinated surfactants and repellents (2). Google Scholar. . They also contain extremely stable carbon fluorine bonds making them incredibly persistent in the environment with studies estimating PFAS lifetimes of over a thousand years Ivy D. J. Rigby M. Baasandorj M. Burkholder J. B. Prinn R. G. (2012). Global emission estimates and radiative impact of C4F10 C5F12 C6F14 C7F16 and C8F18. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 12 (16) 7635 7645. DOI 10.5194/acp 12 7635 2012. . They concentrate within certain areas of the environment with higher concentrations of PFAS being found in plants grown near contaminated water or soil Universiteit Van Amsterdam. (2013). PERFOOD Report Summary. Google Scholar. and bioaccumulate in the food chain so that high level predators such as whales or bald eagles are exposed to a higher concentration of PFAS Kelly B. C. Ikonomou M. G. Blair J. D. Surridge B. Hoover D. Grace R. Gobas F. A. (2009). Perfluoroalkyl contaminants in an Arctic marine food web trophic magnification and wildlife exposure. Environ. Sci. Technol . 43 (11) 4037 43. DOI 10.1021/es9003894. . Recent studies have shown PFAS exposure in humans leads to kidney cancer elevated cholesterol decreased fertility changes to the immune system and development effects. The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that PFAS suppress antibodies in the immune system leading to decreased vaccine response especially in children Grandjean P. Andersen E. W. Budtz Jorgensen E. Nielsen F. Molbak K. Weihe P. Heilmann C. (2012). Serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children exposed to perfluorinated compounds. JAMA J. Am. Med. Assoc. 307 (4) 391– 7. DOI 10.1001/jama.2011.2034. . Animal testing ...