Prevent

PFAS Chemical

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PFAS Chemical, Perfluorochemical, Polyfluoroalkyl Substance, Perfluoroalkyl Substance, Perfluorooctanoic Acid, Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid, Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid, Perfluorodecanoic Acid, Perfluorononanoic Acid, Fluorosurfactant, Forever Chemical

  • Definitions
  1. PFAS Chemicals (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance)
    1. Broad category of synthetic chemicals used in commercial products throughout the world since the 1950s
    2. Used commonly in commercial products, esp. Fluorosurfactants (e.g. nonstick cookware, water resistant clothes)
  2. Fluorosurfactant
    1. Fluorine-containing surfactant with high chemical stability and strongly reduces surface tension
    2. Allows product to be more easily applied to a surface with better wetting, spreading and leveling
    3. Used in firefighting foams, coatings, and cleaning products
    4. Broad category that includes PFAS Chemicals
  3. Forever Chemical
    1. PFAS are known as Forever Chemicals due to their stability and broad environmental contamination
    2. PFAS are degradation resistant and will likely remain in the environment for 100s or 1000s of years
    3. PFAS Chemicals are found in 50% of tap water samples in U.S. and can be detected in routine blood samples
  • Types
  • Specific PFAS Chemicals
  1. Background
    1. Thousands of different PFAS Chemicals have been produced
    2. Several PFAS have been used more heavily, and have been best studied
  2. Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA, esp. industrial use)
  3. Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS, esp. industrial use)
  4. Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxS)
  5. Perfluorodecanoic Acid
  6. Perfluorononanoic Acid
  • Types
  • Common Products using PFAS as Fluorosurfactant
  1. Nonstick cookware
  2. Stain-resistant, Wrinkle-resistant and water-resistant fabrics
  3. Fire fighting foams (used in petroleum-based fires)
  • Complications
  • Human Disease Associations with PFAS
  1. Strong Associations
    1. Diminished Antibody response
    2. Dyslipidemia
    3. Intrauterine Growth Retardation
    4. Renal Cancer
  2. Other Associations
    1. Liver dysfunction
    2. Thyroid dysfunction
    3. Breast Cancer
    4. Testicular Cancer
    5. Ulcerative Colitis
  • Prevention
  1. Home Water Filtration
    1. Commercial Testing Kits are available for testing home tap water for PFAS
    2. Home Water Filtration systems are available that filter out PFAS
  2. Avoid food products with PFAS contamination
    1. Avoid Fish from PFAS contaminated water
    2. Avoid nonstick cookware containing PFAS
    3. Avoid nonstick food packaging containing PFAS
  3. Children are at highest risk for PFAS exposure complications
    1. Pregnant and lactating mothers should try to avoid PFAS (e.g. use filtered water)
  • References
  1. Cervantes (2025) Am Fam Physician 111(5): 460-2 [PubMed]