- Type
- Fluorinated polymer
- How serious
- High severity
- Evidence
- Strong evidence
Why it is flagged
Extremely persistent; associated with altered thyroid function and reduced fertility in large human cohorts. For PCOS the evidence is emerging and rests on PFAS as a group: a 2026 meta-analysis found higher PFAS levels in women with PCOS, and a PFAS mixture was tied to higher odds of PCOS in a large study in China.
Health topics it bears on
Sources
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), its salts, and its precursors - information sheet Health Canada (Chemicals Management Plan), 2026
- State of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Report Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada, 2025
- Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2026
- Hormonal perturbations induced by multicategory endocrine-disrupting chemicals increase the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome Environmental Pollution (Lu et al.), 2026
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS), IARC Monographs Volume 135 International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO), 2025
- Environmental Exposure to Emerging Alternatives of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Women Diagnosed with Infertility: A Mixture Analysis Environmental Health Perspectives (Zhan et al.), 2023
- Risk to human health related to the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances in food European Food Safety Authority, 2020
Also listed as
pfoa, perfluorodecalin, c9-15 fluoroalcohol phosphate, pfas