Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a man-made chemical that resists heat, water, oil, grease, and stains. It is used in making common household and industrial items such as non-stick pots and pans, flame-resistant and water-proof clothing, wire coatings, and chemical-resistant tubing. PFOA can also be formed by the breakdown of other highly fluorinated chemicals used in stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, stain-resistant paints, fire-fighting foam, and oil- and grease-resistant food cartons and wrappers. PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are the most commonly detected perfluoroalckyl acids (PFAAs)in the environment and in biological samples. While the routes of exposure to PFOA are not well characterized, the focus has been on water; however, potential exposures through consumer products and the diet are emerging issues, and are areas where Exponent has considerable expertise with other chemicals and products.
Exponent’s health scientists and engineers provide a depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise to our clients from a variety of perspectives. Our multidisciplinary team can address all aspects of product and chemical stewardship and comprehensively address health, safety, and regulatory concerns. Exponent has successfully applied this model to many chemicals and issues. With regard to PFOA specifically, Exponent has expertise in several areas, including:
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- Health-based risk assessment
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Exponent has been involved in several exposure-related projects for PFOA, including:
- Development of a protocol for monitoring blood PFOA levels in community members and evaluation of possible surrogates for markers of PFOA exposure.
- Performance of comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature related to PFOA exposure and biomonitoring, identifying benefits and limitations of existing studies, and summarizing findings. The results of this analysis were used to provide input into design of a larger, more comprehensive exposure and biomonitoring study. Of particular interest were surveillance and data collection methods, analytical techniques used to identify compounds of interest, and limitations associated with pooled data.
- Review of methods behind the development of corporate occupational exposure limits and community exposure guidelines for PFOA and related compounds in air and drinking water.
- Review of original scientific literature and documentation used by a government contractor to support regulatory conclusions regarding development of risk characterization criteria for multiple environmental compartments based on European Union System for Evaluation of Substances modeling.
- Research into alternatives to PFOA and PFOS, and evaluation of relative advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives.