http://www.beauty-review.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Perfluoroalkyl-acids-a-review-of-monitoring-and-toxicological-findings.pdf

Perfluoroalkyl Acids: A Review of Monitoring and Toxicological Findings

/pdf/water-analysis-emerging-contaminants-and-current-issues-4iaf1qar5i.pdf

Water Analysis: Emerging Contaminants and Current Issues

This article explains the history, from 1600 BC to 2008, of materials that are today termed 'plastics'. It includes production volumes and current consumption patterns of five main commodity plastics: polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate. The use of additives to modify the properties of these plastics and any associated safety, in use, issues for the resulting polymeric materials are described. A comparison is made with the thermal and barrier properties of other materials to demonstrate the versatility of plastics. Societal benefits for health, safety, energy saving and material conservation are described, and the particular advantages of plastics in society are outlined. Concerns relating to littering and trends in recycling of plastics are also described. Finally, we give predictions for some of the potential applications of plastic over the next 20 years.

/pdf/applications-and-societal-benefits-of-plastics-4iyzn9zn01.pdf

Applications and societal benefits of plastics.

BackgroundPolyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) have been used since the 1950s in numerous commercial applications. Exposure of the general U.S. population to PFCs is widespread. Since 2002, the manufac...

/pdf/polyfluoroalkyl-chemicals-in-the-u-s-population-data-from-1vcywj06i1.pdf

Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals in the U.S. population: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 and comparisons with NHANES 1999-2000.

Perfluorinated compounds--exposure assessment for the general population in Western countries.

PFOA is a peroxisome proliferator (PPAR agonist) and exerts morphological and biochemical effects characteristic of PPAR agonists. These effects include increased beta-oxidation of fatty acids, increases in several cytochrome P-450 (CYP450)-mediated reactions, and inhibition of the secretion of very low-density lipoproteins and cholesterol from the liver. These effects on lipid metabolism and transport result in a reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides in serum and an accumulation of lipids in the liver. The triad of tumors observed (liver, Leydig cell, and pancreatic acinar-cell) is typical of many PPAR agonists and is believed to involve nongenotoxic mechanisms. The hepatocellular tumors observed in rats are likely to have been the result of the activation of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha). The tumors observed in the testis (Leydig-cell) have been hypothesized to be associated with an increased level of serum estradiol in concert with testicular growth factors. The mechanism responsible for the acinar-cell tumors of the pancreas in rats remains the subject of active investigation. The mechanism resulting in the hepatocellular tumors in rats (PPARalpha activation) is not likely to be relevant to humans. Similarly, the proposed mechanism for Leydig-cell tumor formation is of questionable relevance to humans. Acinar tumors of the pancreas are rare in humans, and the relevance of the these tumors, as found in rats, to humans is uncertain. Epidemiological investigations and medical surveillance of occupationally exposed workers have not found consistent associations between PFOA exposure and adverse health effects.

Sandra R. Murphy

Papers

The toxicology of perfluorooctanoate.