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Systematic Evidence Mapping of Potential Exposure Pathways for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Based on Measured Occurrence in Multiple Media

Journal

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Volume 57, Issue 13, Pages 5107-5116

Publisher

AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07185

Keywords

forever chemicals; measurement database; human exposure; residential environment; nondrinking water sources

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Given that PFAS are ubiquitous in human biomonitoring surveys, humans can be exposed to PFAS through various sources. This study investigated the important pathways of exposure to PFAS by reviewing and mapping evidence for the occurrence of PFAS in exposure media. Data on PFAS occurrence in indoor and environmental media from 229 references were extracted. Studies of PFAS occurrence became numerous after 2005, with most studies focusing on PFOA and PFOS. Most studies found detectable levels of PFAS in food and drinking water, and indoor air and products also had detectable levels in a majority of samples.
Given that human biomonitoring surveys show per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to be ubiquitous, humans can be exposed to PFAS through various sources, including drinking water, food, and indoor environmental media. Data on the nature and level of PFAS in residential environments are required to identify important pathways for human exposure. This work investigated important pathways of exposure to PFAS by reviewing, curating, and mapping evidence for the measured occurrence of PFAS in exposure media. Real-world occurrence for 20 PFAS was targeted primarily in media commonly related to human exposure (outdoor and indoor air, indoor dust, drinking water, food, food packaging, articles, and products, and soil). A systematic-mapping process was implemented to conduct title abstract and full-text screening and to extract PECO-relevant primary data into comprehensive evidence databases. Parameters of interest included the following: sampling dates and locations, numbers of collection sites and participants, detection frequencies, and occurrence statistics. Detailed data were extracted on PFAS occurrence in indoor and environmental media from 229 references and on PFAS occurrence in human matrices where available from those references. Studies of PFAS occurrence became numerous after 2005. Studies were most abundant for PFOA (80% of the references) and PFOS (77%). Many studies analyzed additional PFAS, particularly, PFNA and PFHxS (60% of references each). Food (38%) and drinking water (23%) were the commonly studied media. Most studies found detectable levels of PFAS, and detectable levels were reported in a majority of states in the United States. Half or more of the limited studies for indoor air and products detected PFAS in 50% or more of the collected samples. The resulting databases can inform problem formulation for systematic reviews to address specific PFAS exposure queries and questions, support prioritization of PFAS sampling, and inform PFAS exposure measurement studies. The search strategy should be extended and implemented to support living evidence review in this rapidly advancing area.

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