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TOWARD A RISK ASSESSMENT OF PERFLUOROALKYL ACIDS
Citation:
LAU, C. S., J. M. ROGERS, H. A. BARTON, A. B. LINDSTROM, M. J. STRYNAR, AND J. SEED. TOWARD A RISK ASSESSMENT OF PERFLUOROALKYL ACIDS. Presented at EPA Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2005.
Description:
Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS),and fluorotelomer alcoholsare surfactants that have wide applications in industrial and consumer products. Various fluorotelomer alcohols are known to be metabolized to perfluorocarboxylic acids. These man-made chemicals are stable and persistent in the environment, but have previously been viewed as biologically inactive. However, recent bio-monitoring studies have indicated a widespread presence of PFOS, PFOA and other PFAA in humans and wildlife, and preliminary studies have indicated several toxic outcomes of these chemicals in laboratory animals. Together, these findings have drawn considerable interests from the public, and their relevance to human health risksand ecological impacts has rendered this class of chemicals an emerging concern for the program offices at the US EPA as well as their counterparts in Canada and EU. In response to a call for assistance from OPPTS, our laboratories (NHEERL and NERL) at ORD have launched investigations of the adverse health effects of PFOS and PFOA, and have developed analytical methods to aid the exposure assessment of these chemicals. In addition to collaborations across laboratories within ORD and OPPTS, formal and informal partnerships have been established with other federal agencies (CDC, NTP), manufacturing industries (3M, DuPont) and academic investigators to characterize the toxicity profiles of PFAA in animal models, and to provide models for the extrapolation of animal findings to human exposure. Indeed, these joint efforts have beeninstrumental in providing a health risk assessment of these chemicals (PFOA recently, for instance). Results from on-going and planned collaborative research among these partners will undoubtedly lend insights to the modes and mechanisms of action for this unique class of chemicals, thereby affording risk assessment decisionsthat are based on sound scientific findings, as well as promoting thedesigns of safe new and replacement products by the manufacturing industries. This abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.