Where It Comes From
Industrial production of fluorinated treatments for textiles, paper, metal plating, and specialty surfactants; breakdown/processing to long-chain perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (e.g., C14 PFSA) [1][2].
How You Are Exposed
Workplace inhalation or skin contact; contaminated drinking water near PFAS production or firefighting foam sites; indoor dust from treated goods; eating contaminated fish or game [1][2].
Why It Matters
Long-chain PFAS are extremely persistent, can build up in people and wildlife, and are linked to immune effects, higher cholesterol, liver and developmental effects; some (like PFOA) cause cancer in humans [1][3][4].
Who Is at Risk
Workers handling PFAS or sulfonyl chlorides; people near PFAS facilities, airports, or bases; pregnant people and infants; private well users; those who eat a lot of locally caught fish [1][2][3].
How to Lower Your Exposure
Check local PFAS water results; use certified home filters that reduce PFAS (reverse osmosis, activated carbon, ion exchange); follow fish advisories; choose PFAS-free products when possible; follow workplace PPE and hygiene [5][6].
References
- [1]ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls (2021).
- [2]U.S. EPA. Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS. https://www.epa.gov/pfas
- [3]NTP. Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposure to PFOA and PFOS (2016).
- [4]IARC. PFOA carcinogenic to humans; PFOS possibly carcinogenic (Monographs Vol 135, 2023).
- [5]CDC/ATSDR. PFAS and Your Health. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/
- [6]U.S. EPA. Reducing PFAS in Your Drinking Water at Home. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/reducing-pfas-drinking-water-home