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Current Understanding of PFAS Toxicology with Animal Models and Corresponding Findings in Epidemiological Surveys - DIOXIN 2021
Citation:
Lau, C. Current Understanding of PFAS Toxicology with Animal Models and Corresponding Findings in Epidemiological Surveys - DIOXIN 2021. Dioxin 2021, Xian, Shaanxi Province, CHINA, August 22 - 25, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
Information summarized in this review provides a state-of-science understanding of the concordance and disagreement between animal toxicity data on PFAS and epidemiological findings in human populations.
Description:
Current Understanding of PFAS Toxicology with Animal Models and Corresponding Findings in Epidemiological Surveys Christopher Lau, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of anthropogenic chemicals with wide industrial and consumer applications but are distributed and persist in all environmental media and detected in humans and wildlife. They are generally categorized as (a) legacy compounds that include perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) and their precursors, or (b) replacements that are polyfluoroalkyl chemicals typically with ether linkage(s). During the past two decades, intense scrutiny uncovered toxic potentials of these chemicals in laboratory animals. These include primarily hepatotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, tumor induction, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and obesogenicity. More recently, adverse human health effects of PFAS have been reported in the epidemiological literature based on national cross-sectional surveys, evaluations of large cohorts from contaminated sites, and small cohorts from prospective clinical studies. These findings largely reflect associations (or the lack thereof) between serum PFAS levels and adverse health determinations. This brief presentation compares laboratory animal data and observations in humans for concordance and disagreement. (This abstract does not necessarily reflect U.S. EPA policy.)