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April 1, 2018Open Access

The PFAS Health Study: Systematic Literature Review

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Key result

Higher PFOS or PFOA levels linked to slightly increased blood cholesterol.

Why the study?

Does exposure to PFAS cause adverse human health effects?

Population

Humans exposed to PFAS, based on 221 scientific publications.

Design

Systematic_review

Authors

MKMartyn KirkKSKayla SmurthwaiteSTSusan Trevenar

Discussion

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Overview

Alerts clinicians to modest lipid effects from common PFAS exposure; strengthens causal inference from pooled observational studies.

Study Design

Type

Systematic Review

Structured PICO

Does exposure to PFAS cause adverse human health effects?

P
Population
Systematic review of 221 scientific publications reporting new results of relevant research in humans on the health effects of PFAS exposure up until February 2017.
E
Exposure
Exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically PFOS and PFOA.
O
Outcome
Human health effects across multiple body systems and specific conditions (including cholesterol levels, uric acid, kidney function, cancer, and immune response).

This systematic review found sufficient evidence linking PFAS exposure to small increases in blood cholesterol, with limited evidence for other adverse health effects such as reduced kidney function and certain cancers.

Limitations

  • Possibility of reverse causation for associations with kidney function and uric acid levels
  • Possibility of reverse causation regarding kidney function and uric acid levels

Cite This Study

Kirk et al. (2018) conducted a systematic review in PFAS exposure. PFAS exposure was evaluated on Human health effects. Higher blood levels of PFOS or PFOA have sufficient evidence for causing slightly increased blood cholesterol levels, with limited evidence for effects on uric acid, kidney function, and immunity.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa52883014c9b816df4bfefhttps://doi.org/10.25911/kw6t-7h44
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1PFAS Toxicity: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Really Matters2026 · 3 citations
  2. 2Toxicological Effects and Health Impacts of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Humans2026 · 3 citations
  3. 3Global Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Exposures and Their Correlation with Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.2025 · 29 citations
  4. 4Evaluating health impacts of exposure to PFAS mixtures: a systematic review of epidemiological studies using mixture methods2025
  5. 5Kidney Risks Linked to Per‐ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure2026