A recent Environmental Research study of 18 of the most comprehensive epidemiologic studies addressing possible links between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found that “evidence of an association between exposure to PFAS compounds and cancer is sparse.”  

The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reviewed the existing evidence of a correlation between PFAS exposure and cancer to identify the types of study designs that have been most useful, and to determine which kinds of future research would be the most likely to “meaningfully increase knowledge.”

Scientists found strengths and weaknesses embedded in the design of each study. According to the CDC analysis, “Weaknesses in study design and methods can, in some cases, lead to questionable associations, but in other cases can make it more difficult to detect true associations if they are present.”

Center for Truth in Science president and CEO Joseph Annotti offered the following statement in response.

“As we work to broaden our understanding of PFAS, studies like this are critical,” Annotti said. “Clearly, much more research needs to be done—particularly on the difference between original and no-longer used PFAS that have indeed been proven dangerous, and the next generation of these compounds that have not—before rules and regulations are put in place that would place unnecessary restrictions on the use of these materials and trigger massive liability lawsuits. In order to reach more definitive conclusions about any causal link between PFAS and cancer, we echo the recommendations for continued study into the associations between cancer and PFAS.”