PFAS Toxicity: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Really Matters

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.

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Publication Details

Journal
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2026-05-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c01037
Primary Topic
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

PFAS Toxicity: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Really Matters

Z Wang, Dorte Herzke, Ian T. Cousins, Jamie C. DeWitt et al.
Environmental Science & Technology
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
article

PFAS Toxicity: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Really Matters

Z Wang, Dorte Herzke, Ian T. Cousins, Jamie C. DeWitt, Carla A. Ng, Martin Scheringer, Gretta Goldenman, Mark Miller, Rainer Lohmann, Xenia Trier
article en

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.

Environmental Science & Technology
University of Copenhagen (DK), Oregon State University (US), National Institute of Occupational Health (NO), Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NO), Stockholm University (SE), University of Pittsburgh (US), University of Rhode Island (US), University of Southern Denmark (DK), University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan (JP), United States Public Health Service (US), ETH Zurich (CH), FIT Consulting (Italy) (IT), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (US), Institut des Sciences des Plantes de Montpellier (FR), Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (CH)
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, H2020 Societal Challenges, NCCR Catalysis
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
DOISourceOpenAlex
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