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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure science: current knowledge, information needs, future directions
Citation:
Cheng, B., Kiran Alapaty, V. Zartarian, A. Poulakos, M. Strynar, AND T. Buckley. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure science: current knowledge, information needs, future directions. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. Springer, Heidelburg, Germany, , 0, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03710-7
Impact/Purpose:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been documented on global, regional, and local scales with concerns of adverse ecological and human health effects. PFAS are heterogeneously found in occupational settings, in homes, outdoors, in drinking water, and food, as well as in human and animal blood samples and environmental media. The magnitude of human exposures and relative pathway contributions depend on the specific population, their exposure scenario, and the proximity to various heterogenous local sources. This article is an outgrowth from the presentation made by Valarie Zartarian when she was asked by the ORD IOAA during late December 2017 to give an EPA’s PFAS Exposure Science plenary at the Feb 5-6 , 2018 Interagency PFAS Federal Info Exchange (presentation attached). Activities and needs for addressing critical PFAS data gaps include: literature reviews/data analyses to identify and characterize PFAS sources, media concentrations, relative contributions to human exposure field and laboratory methods development (e.g., non-targeted analyses), systematic field research to address data gaps; data visualization and geospatial analysis; development and application of fate and transport as well as exposure modeling tools. Exposure methods, measurements, and models can inform risk management/communication and provide guidance for field studies, methods, and fate and transport model developmental efforts. More information is available on legacy (long-chain) PFAS while research is ongoing and needed for also detecting/analyzing replacement and emerging PFAS. Various exposure science activities are underway for PFAS across federal agencies; systems-based approaches and coordination are planned to inform health-based risk standards/guidelines/advisories; risk assessments/communication/mitigation efforts; and focused data collection efforts.
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been documented at all spatial scales with concerns of adverse ecological and human health effects. Human exposures and relative pathway contributions depend on the specific population, their exposure scenarios, and pathways of local sources. We aimed to provide a narrative overview of (1) current per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances knowledge for sources, concentrations, and exposures; (2) critical per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure information gaps and needs, and (3) US Environmental Protection Agency’s strategies and action plans in collaboration with other federal, industrial, and academic partners. A literature review was conducted for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (primarily perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid) compounds in blood, water, soil, house dust, indoor and outdoor air, consumer products, food, and fish, as well as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure modeling. Large variability exists in measured per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances environmental concentrations and human exposures. The literature indicated that ingestion of food (“background”), drinking water (“contaminated” scenarios), and house dust (for children) is main pathways for perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid. Needs for addressing critical data gaps are identified. More information is available on long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances than for replacement and emerging ones. A large-scale research effort by the US Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies is underway for a better understanding of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposures.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure science: current knowledge, information needs, future directions
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13762-021-03710-7