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Assessing the Ecological Risks of PFAS: Challenges and Opportunities
Citation:
Ankley, G. Assessing the Ecological Risks of PFAS: Challenges and Opportunities. SETAC-SOT Symposium on PFAS Virtual Meeting, Duluth, MN, November 15 - 19, 2020. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.13110206
Impact/Purpose:
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a large, heterogenous group of chemicals of potential concern to human health and the environment. Based on information for a few relatively well understood PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), there is a basis to suspect that at least a subset will be unacceptably persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. However, data suitable for determining ecological risks in either prospective or retrospective assessments are lacking for the majority of PFAS. Addressing needs associated with assessing the ecological risk of PFAS will require cross-disciplinary approaches that employ both conventional and new methods in an integrated, resource-effective manner.
Description:
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have achieved substantial prominence in terms of public visibility and regulatory concern. A large variety of different PFAS have been employed, in some cases for more than 70 years, for consumer and industrial applications such as non-stick and protective coatings, manufacturing lubricants, and dispersants. An additional use of certain PFAS has been as fire suppressors in aqueous film-forming foams, which can serve as an important source of the chemicals to some environments. Concern for PFAS in many parts of the world has emphasized possible human health effects, particularly from the standpoint of contaminated drinking water, but there is also concern for potential ecological effects of the chemicals. For example, some PFAS have been listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention based both on potential human health and ecosystem considerations. A major challenge for scientists and risk assessors assessing the ecological risks of PFAS is the substantial number of compounds that may need to be considered in terms of potential effects on a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species, often with little or no fate or toxicity data. This presentation will address the challenges faced in assessing the ecological risks of PFAS and discuss state-of-the-science approaches to meet these challenges. This abstract does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the USEPA.
