ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on potential human health risks associated with oral exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present in groundwater contaminated with aqueous film-forming foam, emphasizing a class-based approach to understanding the toxic potential of this group of chemicals. It focuses primarily on data derived from studies conducted in mammalian animal models. Perfluorinated carboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonic acids are readily absorbed after ingestion and are not metabolized. Accumulation occurs mainly in well-perfused tissues, particularly the liver, blood, and kidneys, with extremely low levels in other tissues. The liver is one of the most sensitive target organs for PFAS toxicity. Increased liver weight and hepatocellular hypertrophy have been noted with almost all of the PFAS assessed in rodent models, with male rats being more sensitive to these effects than female rats. PFAS suppress adaptive immune system responses at the same time as they augment inflammatory cell responses in some compartments.
