PFCs are extremely persistent. Researchers are finding serious health concerns about PFCs, including increased risk of cancer.
PFOA is a likely human carcinogen; it causes liver, pancreatic, testicular, and mammary gland tumors in laboratory animals. PFOS causes liver and thryoid cancer in rats.
PFCs cause a range of other problems in laboratory animals, including liver and kidney damage, as well as reproductive problems.
PFOA’s half-life in our bodies, or the time it would take to expel half of a dose, is estimated at more than 4 years. PFOS’s half-life is estimated at more than 8 years.
Exposure to PFOA or PFOS before birth has been linked with lower birth weight in both animal and human studies.