PFAS

Regional record

Western New York history

• Western New York records connect PFAS investigation to firefighting-foam use at aviation facilities, industrial handling and manufacturing, landfills, and wastewater pathways.
• The Atlas separates confirmed PFAS use or detection from facilities still being researched; an industrial category alone is not evidence that PFAS were released there.
• PFOA is often called C8. APFO is the ammonium salt of PFOA, but an environmental PFOA result cannot by itself identify APFO as the original material used or released.

These examples summarize the linked Atlas place records. Open those records for site-specific dates, findings, cleanup actions, and sources.

Environmental behavior

Persistence and movement

Many PFAS break down very slowly. Some move readily with water, while others accumulate in sediment, wildlife, fish, or the human body.

Pathways

How exposure may occur

• Drinking contaminated water or consuming food and fish containing PFAS
• Occupational contact with PFAS-containing products or processes
• Inhalation or ingestion of contaminated dust, soil, or aerosols in some settings

People

Potential long-term human effects

• Studies associate increased exposure to certain PFAS with higher cholesterol and changes in liver enzymes.
• Some PFAS are associated with reduced antibody response to vaccines and pregnancy-related effects.
• PFOA exposure has been associated with kidney and testicular cancer.

Other living systems

Potential ecological effects

• Some PFAS bioaccumulate in fish, birds, mammals, and other wildlife.
• Laboratory and field studies report developmental, reproductive, liver, and immune effects in some species.

Limits

Important uncertainty

Thousands of PFAS exist, and toxicity information is much stronger for a small number of well-studied compounds than for the family as a whole.