Human exposure to PFCs by drinking water

The purposes of this study were to investigate the presence and potential health risks of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in drinking water. An extended literature review was initially conducted to collect monitoring data of PFCs in drinking water, worldwide. In order to assess the potential risk for human health associated with the presence of PFCs in drinking water, risk assessment was based on Risk Quotient (RQ) methodology, while RQs were calculated for different life stages, applying different scenarios based on the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) values published in the literature. According to the results, there is a considerable number of published articles in scientific journals (31) concerning the presence of PFCs in drinking water. Their mean concentration levels ranged from less than 1 ng L-1 to marginally higher than 100 ng L-1. Amongst all target compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) seemed to pose a probable risk to human health, especially to infants and young children, indicating the need for further research.