Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have gained significant attention due to their widespread distribution in the environment and potential adverse health effects. While ingestion, especially through contaminated drinking water, is considered the primary route of human exposure, recent research suggests that other pathways, such as inhalation and dermal absorption, also play a significant role. This review provides a concise overview of the toxicological impacts of both legacy and emerging PFASs, such as GenX and perfluoro butane sulfonic acid (PFBS), with a particular focus on their effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems, based on findings from recent in vivo, in vitro, and epidemiological studies. Despite the transition to PFAS alternatives, much of the existing toxicity data focus on a few legacy compounds, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoro octane sulfonate (PFOS), which have been linked to adverse immune outcomes, particularly in children. However, evidence for carcinogenic risk remains limited to populations with extremely high exposure levels, and data on neurodevelopmental effects remain underexplored. While epidemiological and experimental animal studies supported these findings, significant knowledge gaps persist, especially regarding emerging PFASs. Therefore, this review examines the visceral, neural, and immunotoxicity data for emerging PFASs and mixtures from recent studies. Given the known risks from well-studied PFASs, a precautionary principle should be adopted to mitigate human health risks posed by this large and diverse group of chemicals.
Recommended Citation
P. Martano and S. Mahdi and T. Zhou and Y. Barazandegan and R. Iha and H. Do and J. Burken and P. K. Nam and Q. Yang and R. Mu, "Visceral, Neural, and Immunotoxicity of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A Mini Review," Toxics, vol. 13, no. 8, article no. 658, MDPI, Aug 2025.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080658
Department(s)
Chemistry
Second Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
carcinogenic risks; immune dysfunction; organ toxication; PFAS exposure; public health
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2305-6304
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Aug 2025
Comments
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grant MOLU2021YANGQ