The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide public health officials, physicians, toxicologists, and other interested individuals and groups with an overall perspective on the toxicology of perfluoroalkyls. It contains descriptions and evaluations of toxicological studies and epidemiological investigations and provides conclusions, where possible, on the relevance of toxicity and toxicokinetic data to public health.

This document discusses information on perfluoroalkyl compounds that have been measured in the serum collected from a representative US population 12 years of age and older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 (Calafat et al. 2007b). These compounds include: perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBuS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDeA), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA), 2-(N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamide) acetic acid (Me-PFOSA-AcOH), and 2-(N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamide) acetic acid (Et-PFOSA-AcOH). Also included in this document is perfluorobutyric acid (PFBA).