Case Study - Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

What are they? Fluorinated chemicals are a class of compounds that contain fluorine-carbon bonds.  They are used in a wide variety of consumer and commercial products to impart stain resistance, waterproofing, lubrication, and other properties.  They have also been used as surfactants in fire-fighting foams.  Selected chemicals in this class are highly persistent in the environment and in humans and animals.  More information is available at:  https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/perflourinated_chemicals_508.pdf

Australian biomonitoring data: PFAS has been measured in blood samples from different age groups in the Australian population every two years since 2002, with results published in the scientific literature.  Results for two of the most commonly studied compounds, perflurooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and pefluorooctanate (PFOA) are illustrated below.  Levels of these compounds have been declining over time in Australians.