IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Public Comment and External Review Draft)
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In March 2024, the IRIS Program released the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts for public comment and external peer review. The IRIS assessment of PFNA will undergo an independent external scientific peer review managed by ERG, a contractor to EPA. Additional information about the peer review meeting is listed with the downloads below and located on the external peer review meeting site.
Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and its related salts are members of the group of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are not naturally occurring in the environment; they are man-made compounds that have been used widely over the past several decades in consumer products and industrial applications because of their resistance to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Concerns about PFNA and other PFAS stem from the resistance of these compounds to hydrolysis, photolysis, and biodegradation, which leads to their persistence in the environment.
PFNA has been used to make fluoropolymers, a coating that can resist heat, water, and chemicals; thus, PFNA can be present in products including carpets, food-contact papers, and cleaning and polishing products. Low levels of PFNA are detected in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for fire suppression. PFNA is also a breakdown product of other PFAS (e.g. 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol).
Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and its related salts are members of the group of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are not naturally occurring in the environment; they are man-made compounds that have been used widely over the past several decades in consumer products and industrial applications because of their resistance to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Concerns about PFNA and other PFAS stem from the resistance of these compounds to hydrolysis, photolysis, and biodegradation, which leads to their persistence in the environment.
PFNA has been used to make fluoropolymers, a coating that can resist heat, water, and chemicals; thus, PFNA can be present in products including carpets, food-contact papers, and cleaning and polishing products. Low levels of PFNA are detected in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for fire suppression. PFNA is also a breakdown product of other PFAS (e.g. 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol).
Impact/Purpose
EPA is undertaking development of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) health assessment for Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA). The outcome of this project is an IRIS Toxicological Review and Executive Summary for Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) will be entered into the IRIS database.Status
The toxicological review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and related salts was released for a 60-day public comment period and external peer review. Following the release of the final external peer review meeting, the assessment will be revised taking into consideration of all public and external peer review comments received.Citation
U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Public Comment and External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-24/031, 2024.History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 01- Nov 2019 | EPA released the Systematic Review Protocol for the PFAS IRIS Assessment (Preliminary Assessment Materials). [Federal Register Notice Nov 8, 2019] |
| 02- Jul 2020 | EPA released an update to the Systematic Review Protocol for the PFBA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFDA IRIS Assessments in response to public comments. |
| 03- Jul 2023 | EPA sent an interagency science consultation PFNA draft for review and comment. |
| 04- Mar 2024 | EPA released the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts for a 60-day public comment period and external peer review. The comments on the Interagency Science Consultation Draft were also released. [Federal Register Notice: March 7, 2024 ] |
| 05- Aug 2024 | ERG, an independent contractor to the EPA, hosted multiple external peer review meetings for the review of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment for PFNA in late July and early August. |
Additional Information
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This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Public Comment and External Review Draft, Mar 2024) (PDF) (575 pp, 16.6 MB, about PDF)
- Draft External Peer Review Charge Questions for the IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid and Related Salts (PDF) (10 pp, 341.8 KB, about PDF)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Public Comment and External Review Draft, Mar 2024) Supplemental Information (PDF) (270 pp, 4.8 MB, about PDF)
- External Panel Peer Review of EPA’s Draft Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Final Peer Review Report) (PDF) (172 pp, 1.7 MB, about PDF)
Related Link(s)
- External Peer Review Activities for PFNA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) and Related Salts (Interagency Science Consultation Draft, 2023)
- Systematic Review Protocol for the Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) IRIS Assessment (Preliminary Assessment Materials)
- Systematic Review Protocol for the PFAS Iris Assessments (2021)
Notices
Docket
Comments on the assessment may be submitted and reviewed using the Docket ID EPA-HQ-ORD-2021-0560