Estimation of the Half-Lives of Recently Detected Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Ethers in an Exposed Community

To estimate half-lives for novel fluoroethers, the GenX Exposure Study obtained two serum measurements for perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for 44 participants of age 12−86 years from North Carolina, collected 5 and 11 months after fluoroether discharges into the drinking water source were controlled. The estimated half-lives for these compounds were 127 days (95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 86, 243 days) for perfluorotetraoxadecanoic acid (PFO4DA), 296 days for Nafion byproduct 2 (95% CI = 176, 924 days), and 379 days (95% CI = 199, 3870 days) for perfluoro-3,5,7,9,11-pentaoxadodecanoic acid (PFO5DoA). Using these estimates and the literature values, a model was built that predicted PFAS half-lives using structural properties. Three chemical properties predicted 55% of the variance of PFAS half-lives based on 15 PFAS. A model with only molecular weight predicted 69% of the variance. Some properties can predict the half-lives of PFAS, but a deeper understanding is needed. These fluoroethers had biological half-lives longer than published half-lives for PFHxA and PFHpA (30−60 days) but shorter than those for PFOA and PFOS (800−1200 days). These are the first and possibly only estimates of human elimination half-lives of these fluoroethers.

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Source https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c08241
Author DeWitt, Jamie; Hoppin, Jane; Knappe, Detlef
Last Updated December 12, 2025, 20:06 (UTC)
Created December 12, 2025, 20:06 (UTC)
Dataset Type Article
Publication Title Environmental Science & Technology
Publication Year 2023