Perfluorinated Chemicals and Associated Health Effects

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFC’s) are an organic group of compounds resistant to metabolic and environmental degradation. PFC’s have been associated with adverse effects in the environment and wildlife and have been theorized to have toxic effects on human health. The purpose of this review is to determine if there is a causative relationship between PFC exposure and adverse health endpoints. A variety of health outcomes were theorized to be related to PFC exposure, but most lacked substantial evidence. Human reproductive health was a mainstay of research. The inconclusiveness of the results makes it difficult to definitively characterize PFC’s as harmful during pregnancy and from the available research it can only be suggested that PFC exposure negatively impacts semen quality. Lastly, nonreproductive health outcomes indicated substantially elevated lipid measurements in chronically exposed populations, representing an increased risk for hyperlipidemia and associated comorbid conditions. Although there are many suggested negative health consequences linked to PFC exposure, the ambiguity of the research makes it difficult to establish significant causative relationships