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Comprising more than 4 700 chemicals, perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of widely used, man-made chemicals that accumulate over time in humans and in the environment.
They are known as ‘forever chemicals’ as they are extremely persistent in our environment and bodies. They can lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer. Please consult our briefing on Emerging chemical risks in Europe – PFAS for further information.
Running from 2017 to 2021, the EU’s Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) generated knowledge to inform the safe management of chemicals and, thus, protect human health in Europe. Its findings also include information on PFAS. You can find further information about this project in our project section.
For more information on the PFAS work developed under HBM4EU, please check its substance webpage. In this webpage, you can find out what products PFAS are used in, what substances are included in the group, their hazardous properties and human-related exposure.
The Partnership for the Assessment of Risks in Chemicals (PARC) is taking the HBM4EU work forward by strengthening the scientific basis for chemical risk assessment and facilitating the EU's transition to next generation evidence-based risk assessment, to protect human health and the environment.