title: Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances: Emerging Insights Into Health Risks.
abstract: Perfluorinated alkyl substances have been in use for over sixty years. These highly stable substances were at first thought to be virtually inert and of low toxicity. Toxicity information slowly emerged on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. More than thirty years ago, early studies reported immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity effects. The substances were discovered in blood samples from exposed workers, then in the general population and in community water supplies near U.S. manufacturing plants. Only recently has research publication on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate intensified. While the toxicology database is still far from complete, carcinogenicity and immunotoxicity now appear to be relevant risks at prevalent exposure levels. Existing drinking water limits are based on less complete evidence that was available before 2008 and may be more than 100-fold too high. As risk evaluations assume that untested effects do not require regulatory attention, the greatly underestimated health risks from perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate illustrate the public health implications of assuming the safety of incompletely tested industrial chemicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grandjean
authors.affiliation: Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA, USA rclapp@envhealth.net.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clapp
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D015197:Carcinogenicity Tests; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D015989:Healthy Worker Effect; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
keywords: carcinogen; exposure limit; immunotoxicant; perfluorinated octanoic acid; perfluorooctane sulfonate; risk assessment