Perfluorinated Compounds In Food Contact Materials

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) exhibit unique physical characteristics including hydrophobic and oleophobic properties as well as thermal and chemical stability. Due to these characteristics, PFCs are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer applications, including automotive, electrical, clothing, and household products. PFCs are ubiquitous in the environment and PFCs greater than seven carbons in length have been found to bioaccumulate in wildlife and humans. Furthermore, laboratory animal studies have raised concerns as to the safety of human exposure to these compounds. Although their use in the manufacture of food contact substances (FCSs) constitutes a small segment of the use of PFCs, their use in food packaging and migration to foodstuffs does represent a potential source of oral exposure to humans. This chapter focuses on aspects of human exposure, and potential health risks associated with two types of long-chain PFCs that historically have been found in food packaging: perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and fluorinated telomer alcohols (FTOHs).