Table 30 Epidemiological studies on biochemical parameters and mortality rates of humans related to PFC exposure
Effects | Study population | Results | Serum concentration (mg/L) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Death rates and incidence of cancer | 2, 083 Workers in POSF production (USA); minimal time of employment is one year | Heavy-exposure group: deaths resulting from bladder cancer, 3; SMR, 12.8; and no increase in liver disease | PFOS, ca. 0.6 to 2 (GM) | Alexander et al. [246] |
| Â | Workers in POSF production (USA), 1, 400 questionnaires, and 188 death certificates | 11 Cases of bladder cancer and 8 expected | PFOS, ca. 1.3 to 1.97 | Alexander and Olsen [247] |
| Â | Workers in POSF production (USA); 1, 400 questionnaires | No association between PFOS and various forms of cancer, and no correlation between PFOS contamination and state of health, course of pregnancy, or birth weight | PFOS, ca. 0.1 to 1.97 | Grice et al. [248] |
| Â | 3, 537 Workers in POSF production (USA) | Elevated SMR for prostate cancer (2.03) and no significant correlation with other cancer or heart diseases | n.r. | Gilliland and Mandel [249] |
| Â | 3, 992 Workers | All workers: elevated SMR for bladder cancer, 1.31; group with certain exposure: elevated SMR for colon, pancreas, and prostate cancers | n.r. | Alexander [250] |
| Â | 4, 747 Workers | No clear evidence of increased risk of death that resulted from ischemic heart disease | n.r. | Sakr et al. [259] |
| Â | 3, 993 Workers of the 3 M plant (USA) | No association with liver, pancreas, and testicular cancer and liver cirrhosis; elevated SMR for prostate cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes | Certain APFO exposure is 2.5 to 5.2; possible APFO exposure is 0.3 to 1.5 | Lundin et al. [251] |
Endocrine effects | 191 Workers, 111 in 1993 and 80 in 1995 (USA) | Increase (10%) in estradiol level at > 0.03 μg/mL PFOA (BMI as cofactor); for other hormones: no association with PFOA serum concentration | PFOA, 0 to 26; mean, 3.27 | Olsen et al. [257] |
Biochemical parameters | 115 male workers (USA) | As related to enzymes in the liver, lipoproteins, and cholesterol, no significant indication of liver toxicity or dysfunction | Total fluorine concentration is 0 to 26; mean is 3.3 | Gilliland and Mandel [254] |
| Â | 178 Male workers in 1995 and 149 workers in 1997 | No dramatic changes in liver enzymes, cholesterol, or lipoproteins in serum | PFOS, < 6 | Olsen et al. [68] |
| Â | 111 Male workers (1993), 80 male workers (1995), and 74 male workers (1997) in APFO-production | No changes in hepatic enzymes, cholesterol, or liporotein levels | PFOA 5 (1993), 6.8 (1995), and 6.4 (1997) | Olsen et al. [255] |
| Â | 263 Workers of the 3 M factory in Decatur (USA) and 255 workers from the plant in Antwerp (Belgium) | No conspicuous changes in blood, liver, thyroid, or urinary parameters after correcting for possible interfering factors | Decatur: PFOS, 1.32 and PFOA, 1.78; Antwerp ca. 50% lower | Olsen et al. [69] |
|  | 506 Workers in the three 3 M factories in Antwerp, Minnesota, and Alabama | No significant correlation of PFOA with total cholesterol or LDL concentrations, liver enzymes, TSH, and T4; inconsistent results for HDL and triglyceride values; FT4 was negatively correlated with PFOA; and T3 elevation with increasing PFOA concentrations → within reference values | PFOA is 0.007 to 92.03; mean is 2.21 | Olsen and Zobel [256] |
| Â | 454 Workers with APFO exposure (USA) | Elevation of total cholesterol and AST levels; no correlation with triglycerides or lipoproteins | n.r. | Skar et al. [258] |
| Â | 53 Male workers, from 1978 to 2007 | No clinical evidence of dysfunction or disease; biochemical parameters for liver, kidneys, and hormonal functionality within reference values; and significant correlation between PFOA serum concentration and total cholesterol and uric acid levels | PFOA is 0.2 to 47.04 (2007); median value is 5.71 | Costa et al. [260] |
| Â | 371 Persons of the general public that were exposed to PFOA via drinking water | No significant correlation of PFOA concentration with liver or kidney function tests, cholesterol levels, TSH hormone level, or values for various blood cells | PFOA median value is 0.354 | Emmet et al. [264] |
| Â | Participants in the NHANES study 2003/2004 between 12 to 80 years of age | Positive association between PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA and total cholesterol, LDL, and VLDL levels for PFHxS, a negative correlation | PFOA, 0.007; PFOS, 0.038; PFNA, 0.002; PFHxS, 0.005 (median) | Nelson et al. [265] |
| Â | 46, 294 Residents for more than 18 years that drank water contaminated with PFOA by a chemical factory in West Virginia | Rising blood lipid values with increasing PFOA and PFOS concentrations in the blood | PFOA, 0.080; PFOS, 0.022 | Steenland et al. [266] |
| Â | 54, 951 Adult residents from Ohio and West Virginia exposed via drinking water | Elevated uric acid concentrations in the highest decile of PFOA or PFOS concentrations compared with the lowest | PFOA, 0.189; PFOS, 0.041 | Steenland et al. [267] |
Disease | 566 Persons exposed to PFOA via drinking water | Increased occurrence of angina, myocardial infarction, chronic bronchitis, shortness of breath, and asthma | n.r. | Anderson-Mahoney et al. [268] |
| Â | General public comprising 474 adults and 969 juveniles in Taiwan | Correlation of PFCs with glucose homeostasis and other indicators of the metabolic syndrome | n.r. | Lin et al. [269] |
| Â | 54, 468 Persons exposed to PFOA via drinking water, 1, 055 with type II diabetes | Reduced risk of diabetes mortality at high PFOA values; not consistent | PFOA, 0.028 | McNeil et al. [270] |
| Â | 28 Patients who had had thyroid operations | No correlation between intrathyroidal PFC concentrations and occurrence of thyroid disease | n.r. | Pirali et al. [262] |
|  | 3, 974 Adults of the NHANES study | High PFOA and PFOS serum concentrations associated with thyroid disease | PFOA, ≥0.0057 (women); PFOS, ≥0.0368 (men) | Melzer et al. [263] |