Navigating PFAS Detection and Regulatory Compliance

White Paper | 001486 Thermo Fisher SCIENTIFIC Comprehensive PFAS testing: Technologies you need to meet current and future regulatory standards Known as "forever chemicals,' per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of synthetic compounds used in a variety of consumer products and manufacturing processes. Due to their strong and stable carbon-fluorine bonds, these substances don't break down and continue to bioaccumulate. Consequently, they remain the most persistent environmental contaminants seen today. Consumers are exposed to PFAS through many sources, including non-stick cookware, kitchenware, water-repellant clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging, microwave popcorn bags, and other cleaning and personal care products. PFAS also find their way into the environment, cycling through water, soil, and air, through industrial processes such as commercial manufacturing, firefighting, and waste disposal. Due to their ubiquitous nature, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have estimated that 99% of the population now carry PFAS in their blood. Studies have also linked PFAS to health issues such as hormonal disruption, increased cholesterol, and cancer risks. PFAS PROOUCING/USING FACTORY PRACTICES A FIRES LANDALLS LEACANTE DRIUONG INNTER SURFACE WATER GROUND WATER PFAS Environmental Cycle and Human Exposure PFAS chemicals cycle through the environment daily in air, water, soil and sediments. Through this cyele, they accumulate in fish, wildlife and humans. Most people are exposed to PFAS from drinking water and eating food that contain these chemicals. According to the CDC, and the World Health Organization exposure to PFAS can increase cholesterol and cancer risks, as well as interfere with hor- mones and thyroid performance. Over 5,000 variants of PFAS are estimated to be circulating in the environment today, raising public health concerns and laboratory testing challenges. In Europe, health conditions related to PFAS exposure cost a whopping €50 billion. To curb these pollutants, regulatory bodies have imposed advisory limits on commonly observed PFAS compounds. Additionally, as PFAS chemicals are so pervasive, taxpayers and companies across the world are expected to shell out billions of dollars towards mandatory PFAS testing and clean-up. In the US alone, the Department of Defense spent $1.1 billion on PFAS dlean-up in 2020 and is likely to double that expenditure in 2021. Meanwhile, from a research perspective, funding towards investigating PFAS health hazards and designing altemnatives is gradually increasing, and consequently, so is the scientific output related to PFAS. thermoscientific