An emerging class of chemicals of great interest is PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS have been used for decades in packaging and textiles to help repel water, oil/grease, and stains. Recently, reports have emerged indicating that PFAS may migrate from containers at low levels into the product being contained. This, along with the apparent widespread use of PFAS, has resulted in growing concern about the possible public health risks associated with using products from packages or containers that may contain measurable PFAS. These concerns are magnified by reports that some PFAS has been detected in humans and the increasingly low regulatory limits, (i.e., parts per trillion) that have been proposed to date.
ToxStrategies has supported a variety of clients in assessing exposure and risk from PFAS, including those associated with containers and packaging. Through this work, our scientists have developed expertise in PFAS toxicology, test plan preparation, and critical evaluation of data related to migration of PFAS from packages and containers into products. We have assessed the potential for health risk from exposure to PFAS based on a wide variety of conditions of use in industrial, commercial and residential products and used available biomonitoring and biological fate data to inform perspective and understand trends. We are also knowledgeable about federal, state, and European Union PFAS regulations and standards; laboratory methods for analyzing PFAS migration in various matrices; and PFAS environmental fate and transport processes.