TY - JOUR
T1 - The PFAS-Tox Database
T2 - A systematic evidence map of health studies on 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
AU - Pelch, Katherine E.
AU - Reade, Anna
AU - Kwiatkowski, Carol F.
AU - Merced-Nieves, Francheska M.
AU - Cavalier, Haleigh
AU - Schultz, Kim
AU - Wolffe, Taylor
AU - Varshavsky, Julia
N1 - Funding Information:
The conduct of this systematic evidence mapping was supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (Science Center), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30 ES025128 to the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University, and Award Numbers (P01ES022841, R00ES023846), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Award Number RD-83543301. Additionally, TAMW was financially supported by the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation (a programme funded by the European Regional Development Agency) and Yordas Group, a consultancy based at Lancaster University. HC was financially supported by New York University Langone Health Vilcek Institute of Biomedical Sciences. FMMN was financially supported by the National Institute of Health Research Training Program in Environmental Pediatrics (5T32HD049311).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - Background: PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large class of synthetic chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial processes. The scientific literature on PFAS has increased dramatically in the last decade. Many stakeholders, including regulators, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and concerned individuals could benefit from an efficient way to access the health and toxicological literature related to PFAS. Objective: To create a systematic evidence map of the available peer-reviewed health or toxicological research for 29 PFAS. Methods: A protocol for conducting this systematic evidence map was initially published on Zenodo (Pelch et al. 2019c), then peer reviewed and published in Environment International (Pelch et al. 2019d). PubMed database was searched through January 25, 2021. Studies were screened for inclusion and exclusion according to the Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) statement. Inclusion criteria were intentionally broad and included any human, animal, and/or in vitro study that investigated exposure to one of the 29 PFAS of interest and a human health or toxicological effect. Selected study details were extracted from included studies as described in the protocol. Study appraisal was not conducted. The included studies and extracted meta-data are freely available in the online, interactive systematic evidence map at https://pfastoxdatabase.org. Results: Over 15,000 studies were retrieved from the PubMed literature searches. After manual screening, 1,067 studies were identified and included as investigating the health or toxicological effect of one or more PFAS of interest. There were 505 human, 385 animal, and 220 in vitro studies. Summary tables of the extracted data and overall observations are included in this report. Conclusions: The PFAS-Tox Database is a useful tool for searching, filtering, and identifying peer reviewed research on the health and toxicological effects of the included PFAS. In this summary of the evidence map we provide examples of data gaps and clusters revealed by the database, with the goal of helping direct future research efforts, facilitate systematic reviews (e.g. on immune effects, mixtures of PFAS, or effects of short chain PFAS), inform regulatory risk assessments, and improve opportunities for cross-disciplinary coordination. We also discuss how this tool supports scientists, regulatory agencies, and other individuals by increasing awareness and access to current evidence regarding the health effects associated with PFAS exposure.
AB - Background: PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large class of synthetic chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial processes. The scientific literature on PFAS has increased dramatically in the last decade. Many stakeholders, including regulators, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and concerned individuals could benefit from an efficient way to access the health and toxicological literature related to PFAS. Objective: To create a systematic evidence map of the available peer-reviewed health or toxicological research for 29 PFAS. Methods: A protocol for conducting this systematic evidence map was initially published on Zenodo (Pelch et al. 2019c), then peer reviewed and published in Environment International (Pelch et al. 2019d). PubMed database was searched through January 25, 2021. Studies were screened for inclusion and exclusion according to the Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) statement. Inclusion criteria were intentionally broad and included any human, animal, and/or in vitro study that investigated exposure to one of the 29 PFAS of interest and a human health or toxicological effect. Selected study details were extracted from included studies as described in the protocol. Study appraisal was not conducted. The included studies and extracted meta-data are freely available in the online, interactive systematic evidence map at https://pfastoxdatabase.org. Results: Over 15,000 studies were retrieved from the PubMed literature searches. After manual screening, 1,067 studies were identified and included as investigating the health or toxicological effect of one or more PFAS of interest. There were 505 human, 385 animal, and 220 in vitro studies. Summary tables of the extracted data and overall observations are included in this report. Conclusions: The PFAS-Tox Database is a useful tool for searching, filtering, and identifying peer reviewed research on the health and toxicological effects of the included PFAS. In this summary of the evidence map we provide examples of data gaps and clusters revealed by the database, with the goal of helping direct future research efforts, facilitate systematic reviews (e.g. on immune effects, mixtures of PFAS, or effects of short chain PFAS), inform regulatory risk assessments, and improve opportunities for cross-disciplinary coordination. We also discuss how this tool supports scientists, regulatory agencies, and other individuals by increasing awareness and access to current evidence regarding the health effects associated with PFAS exposure.
KW - Database
KW - Health
KW - PFAS
KW - Systematic evidence map
KW - Toxicology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135069448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107408
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107408
M3 - Article
C2 - 35908389
AN - SCOPUS:85135069448
SN - 0160-4120
VL - 167
JO - Environment International
JF - Environment International
M1 - 107408
ER -