Latest Science
Unforeseen risks due to the use of fluorinated materials for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance removal
30 Dec 2025 | Nature
Researchers report that fluorinated materials used for PFAS removal may inadvertently release additional fluorinated compounds during production, use, or disposal, suggesting that non-fluorinated alternatives offer safer options for treatment technologies.
A Componential Evaluation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Streams
30 Dec 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
PFAS were detected in every major waste component, with PFAS-treated textiles, which make up only about 9 percent of the waste stream, contributed roughly 38 percent of all leachable PFAS, identifying them as a dominant source of PFAS release from municipal solid waste from waste collected from Central Florida.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) contamination and community impact: An interdisciplinary approach to teaching chemistry
29 Dec 2025 | Journal of Chemical Education
Students engaged in an interdisciplinary chemistry module were found to have an improved understanding of PFAS contamination and its ties to environmental inequity, suggesting that integrating socioscientific issues into core chemistry courses may better prepare students to navigate the ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of real world environmental challenges.
Developmental Toxicity of Photolithography-Relevant Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Reveals Concerns for Less-Studied Functional Groups
24 Dec 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
Several PFAS used in semiconductor manufacturing, including perfluoroalkyl dicarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonamides, may cause developmental toxicity and disrupt lipid-metabolism genes in zebrafish at environmentally relevant levels, raising concerns for their continued use.
Reevaluating PFAS exposure risks from marine fish
18 Dec 2025 | Science
A global modeling analysis finds that legacy PFAS exposure from marine fish may now be low for most countries due to production phaseouts, yet remains higher in places with very high seafood intake such as Greenland and Denmark, offering important insight for refining fish consumption guidance and noting where potential risk persists.
Formation of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) from the incomplete thermal decomposition of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA
16 Dec 2025 | ACS ES&T Air
PFOS and PFOA thermal treatment may consistently produce multiple perfluorocarboxylic acids and volatile fluorinated byproducts at suboptimal temperatures despite near-complete parent destruction, highlighting potential emissions concerns and uncertainties about the specific formation pathways.
Determination of analytical interferences for 4:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid in multiple agricultural matrices
16 Dec 2025 | J Agric Food Chem
Naturally occurring oxidized fatty acids in crops were found to generate the same mass-spectrometric signals as 4:2 FTS, which could lead to potentially inaccurate PFAS measurements in agricultural products and may warrant careful method evaluation before results are reported.
Childhood exposure to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in educational environments: Arising from stationery and implications for health
15 Dec 2025 | J. Environ. Chem. Ecotoxicol.
Several products purchased in China released measurable PFAS including precursors that increased after oxidation and maximum estimated intake from hand to mouth contact with some pen grips approaching the European Food Safety Authority tolerable intake for children.
Mediating role of proteomics in the association between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and blood pressure in youth
15 Dec 2025 | Environ Pollut.
PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFHpS, exposure may be associated with higher blood pressure in youth through protein changes (particularly galectin-3) involving inflammatory and scarred tissue.
A Dominating Role of Functional Groups in Short-Chain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Accumulation by Fruiting Plants
11 Dec 2025 | Environ Sci Technol
Tomato plants were found to preferentially move short-chain PFAS with carboxylic acid groups into fruits while sulfonic acid PFAS are largely retained in roots and leaves, which could influence potential dietary exposure and guide crop choices in contaminated areas.
Co-exposure to PFAS and hydroxylated PCBs is associated with increased odds of multiple sclerosis
11 Dec 2025 | Environ Int
Swedish adults with background exposure who had higher serum levels of PFOS and PCB breakdown products may face increased odds of developing multiple sclerosis, with the strongest associations observed at higher exposure ranges after accounting for lifestyle and genetic differences.
Occurrence and risk assessment of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater and drinking water in Colombia
8 Dec 2025 | ACS ES&T Water
Several PFAS, particularly PFHxA and PFHpA, may present potential health concerns in Colombian drinking water since their estimated intake levels surpassed the United States Lifetime Health Advisory screening level for mixtures.
Unravelling the chemistry of PFAS transfer from packaging to food
8 Dec 2025 | TIFS
PFAS used in paper, paperboard, compostable, and plastic food-contact materials may migrate into food through diffusion, partitioning, and degradation of polymer-bound PFAS, suggesting that these packaging materials may act as overlooked sources of dietary PFAS exposure and warrant closer regulatory attention.
Investigating anaerobic digestion microbiome resilience to high PFOA and PFOS mixtures during cometabolism
8 Dec 2025 | Bioresour. Technol.
High levels of PFOA and PFOS may interfere with how microbes create biogas during anaerobic digestion, which is important for waste-treatment policy because it suggests these chemicals can disrupt sludge processing while showing no clear signs of degradation.
Assessing the impact of perfluoroalkyl substances on liver health: A comprehensive study using multi-donor human liver spheroids
8 Dec 2025 | Environ. Int.
PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA may interfere with liver function in different ways depending on the specific chemical and the sex of the donor cells, potentially contributing to fat buildup in the liver, weakened immune activity, and molecular changes linked to cancer development.