A Review of Perfluorooctanoic Acid Carcinogenicity and Application to Human Risk

Abstract

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a synthetic organic chemical that consists of an 8 carbon alkyl chain with a terminal carboxyl group in which the carbon-hydrogen bonds have been replaced with carbon-fluorine bonds except at the terminal carboxyl end. This perfluoralkyl carboxylate is a contemporary synthetic chemical that does not occur naturally in the environment and has only seen widespread use within the last 50 years. PFOA is environmentally persistent and is ubiquitously found in human serum. PFOA has been shown to induce a tumor triad consisting of liver adenomas, Leydig cell adenomas and pancreatic acinar cell tumors in male Spraque-Dawley rats. The ability of PFOA to produce tumors in rodents compounded by the fact that PFOA is accumulating not only in those occupationally exposed, but also in the general population, justifies concern about the carcinogenic potential of PFOA in humans. This paper reviews the data from current published research and reveals that some carcinogenic pathways identified in the tumors produced by PFOA in experimental animals may provide a plausible mode of action for human carcinogenesis.