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A Chemical Category-Based Prioritization Approach for Selecting 75 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) for Tiered Toxicity and Toxicokinetic Testing
Citation:
Patlewicz, G., A. Richard, A. Williams, C. Grulke, R. Sams, J. Lambert, Pamela Noyes, M. DeVito, R. Hines, M. Strynar, A. GuiseppiElie, AND R. Thomas. A Chemical Category-Based Prioritization Approach for Selecting 75 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) for Tiered Toxicity and Toxicokinetic Testing. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, 127(1):1-12, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4555
Impact/Purpose:
This manuscript aims to describe the process by which the first 75 PFAS substances were selected for testing.
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of fluorinated substances of interest to researchers, regulators, and the public due to their widespread presence in the environment. Some PFAS have comparatively extensive amounts of human epidemiological, exposure, and experimental animal toxicity data (e.g., perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)), whereas little toxicity and exposure information exists for much of the broader set of PFAS. Given that traditional approaches to generate toxicity information are resource intensive, new approach methods (NAMs), including in vitro high-throughput toxicity (HTT) testing, are being employed to inform PFAS hazard characterization and further (in vivo) testing. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) are collaborating to develop a risk-based approach for conducting PFAS toxicity testing to facilitate PFAS human health assessments. This article describes the development of a PFAS screening library and the process by which a targeted subset of 75 PFAS were selected. Multiple factors were considered, including interest to EPA, compounds within targeted categories, structural diversity, exposure considerations, procurability and testability, and availability of existing toxicity data. Generating targeted HTT data for PFAS represents a new frontier for informing priority-setting.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: A Chemical Category-Based Prioritization Approach for Selecting 75 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) for Tiered Toxicity and Toxicokinetic Testing