PFAS Toxicity: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Really Matters
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A substantial body of evidence exists demonstrating that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) poses a risk to human health. Data from epidemiological studies of those exposed occupationally or environmentally demonstrate adverse health risks, and these health effects are concordant with data from toxicological studies. Systematic reviews, conducted by agencies, organizations, and independent scientists that synthesize and integrate these data streams, have concluded that a range of health risks arise from PFAS exposure, including different types of cancer, especially kidney and testicular cancer, metabolic alterations such as increased liver enzymes and increased cholesterol, immune dysfunction such as reduced vaccination efficiency, reproductive and developmental outcomes such as low birth weight and reduced duration of breast feeding, and forms of endocrine disruption. Despite this, myths and misinformation surrounding these health risks slow efforts to protect public health from the hazards of PFAS exposure. This work addresses the most predominant of these myths and counters them with accumulated evidence from epidemiological and toxicological studies, demonstrating that exposure to PFASs poses a risk to human health.
Institutions: Oregon State University, Stockholm University, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, NILU, University of Rhode Island, United States Public Health Service, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, ETH Zurich, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, NCCR Catalysis, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, H2020 Societal Challenges, NCCR Catalysis
OpenAlex ID: W7161604537