Systematic Evidence Mapping for Dietary and Product Use Correlates with Human Exposure to PFAS
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Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) often are found in environmental media, foods, indoor environments, and consumer products/articles. Understanding relationships between PFAS exposure sources and concentrations in human biomatrices can inform source-contribution assessments and provide targets for exposure reduction. A process of systematic evidence mapping (SEM) was implemented to collate information and develop a database for correlations between 16 PFAS measured in human biomatrices with food consumption and product use. The SEM yielded 84 studies reporting correlates of PFAS exposures; 58 were published after 2015. Diet and products/articles were assessed in 77 and 47 studies, respectively. PFOA and PFOS were assessed in most studies; PFNA, PFHxS, and PFDA were included in many. Significant correlations were reported for foods in 62 studies for one or more PFAS; most commonly for seafood, meats/eggs, and combined foods/overall diet categories (>67% of the studies investigated these food categories). Product/article categories of smoking/tobacco, carpet/flooring/furniture/housing, and cosmetics/toiletries categories were referenced most often, with significant findings for one or more PFAS in at least 56% of the studies that investigated these product categories. Seven of 11 product/article categories included five or fewer studies. Substantial evidence was found for correlations between dietary intake and biomatrix levels for several PFAS. Studies examining product use were relatively sparse, except for smoking/tobacco, and would benefit from additional research. The resulting database allows further assessment of dietary and product use exposures and can inform new research to better understand PFAS source-to-exposure relationships.