Widening the Lens on PFASs: Direct Human Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Acid Precursors (pre-PFAAs)
By Carrie A McDonough, Wenting Li, Heather N Bischel, Amila O De Silva, and Jamie C DeWitt
Environ Sci Technol
March 31, 2022
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c00254
Determining health risks associated with per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is a highly complex problem requiring massive efforts for scientists, risk assessors, and regulators. Among the most poorly understood pressing questions is the relative importance of pre-PFAAs, which are PFASs that degrade to highly persistent perfluoroalkyl acids. How many of the vast number of existing pre-PFAAs are relevant for direct human exposure, and what are the predominant exposure pathways? What evidence of direct exposure to pre-PFAAs is provided by human biomonitoring studies? How important are pre-PFAAs and their biotransformation products for human health risk assessment? This article outlines recent progress and recommendations toward widening the lens on human PFAS exposure to include the pre-PFAA subclass.
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