Contaminated water and food are the main sources of documented per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in humans. However, other sources may contribute to the overall PFAS intake. While several studies documented the presence of PFAS in consumer products, PFAS evaluation in dental products has been limited to floss and tape to date. This study estimated PFAS exposures from a convenience sample of leave-in dental products (night guards and whitening trays), which remain in contact with the mouth for longer durations than previously evaluated dental products. This analysis evaluated whether consumer usage of these dental products meaningfully contributes to oral exposure of PFAS. Leaching of PFAS upon disposal of products was also considered. Out of 24 PFAS measured, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA; 3.24–4.17 ng/product or 0.67–0.83 ng/g) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS; 7.25–16.45 ng/product or 1.2–2.3 ng/g) were detected in night guards, and no PFAS were detected in whitening trays. Non-targeted analysis showed additional possible PFAS, which could not be characterized. The findings showed that PFOS and/or PFBA present in night guards were unlikely to pose a health concern. From an ecological perspective, the dental products examined were shown to constitute a negligible contribution to environmental PFAS. In conclusion, the examined dental products do not represent a significant source of exposure to PFAS for humans or the environment. The study demonstrates how risk assessment can be integrated by the industry into product stewardship programs to evaluate the potential health and environmental impacts of chemicals in consumer products.
AhrensLBundschuhM (2014) Fate and effects of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in the aquatic environment: a review. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry33(9): 1921–1929.
BegleyTHWhiteKHonigfortP, et al. (2005) Perfluorochemicals: potential sources of and migration from food packaging. Food Additives & Contaminants22(10): 1023–1031.
4.
BooneJSVigoCBooneT, et al. (2019) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in source and treated drinking waters of the United States. The Science of the Total Environment653: 359–369.
5.
BoronowKEBrodyJGSchaiderLA, et al. (2019) Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology29(2): 206–217.
6.
CasalPGonzález-GayaBZhangY, et al. (2017) Accumulation of perfluoroalkylated substances in oceanic plankton. Environmental Science and Technology51(5): 2766–2775.
CroneBCSpethTFWahmanDG, et al. (2019) Occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in source water and their treatment in drinking water. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology49(24): 2359–2396.
9.
DalahmehSTirganiSKomakechAJ, et al. (2018) Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water, soil and plants in wetlands and agricultural areas in Kampala, Uganda. The Science of the Total Environment631–632: 660–667.
10.
DomingoJLNadalM (2019) Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water: a review of the recent scientific literature. Environmental Research177: 108648.
11.
European Food Safety Authority (2012) Perfluoroalkylated substances in food: occurrence and dietary exposure. EFSA Journal10(6): 2743.
12.
FeiCMcLaughlinJKLipworthL, et al. (2010) Prenatal exposure to PFOA and PFOS and risk of hospitalization for infectious diseases in early childhood. Environmental Research110(8): 773–777.
GarnickLMassarskyAMushnickA, et al. (2021) An evaluation of health-based federal and state PFOA drinking water guidelines in the United States. The Science of the Total Environment761: 144107.
15.
GobeliusL (2016) Uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by plants. Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Available from: https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/9787/1/gobelius_l_161108.pdf.
16.
González-GayaBCasalPJuradoE, et al. (2019) Vertical transport and sinks of perfluoroalkyl substances in the global open ocean. Environmental science. Processes & impacts21(11): 1957–1969.
17.
GrandjeanPAndersenEWBudtz-JørgensenE, et al. (2012) Serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children exposed to perfluorinated compounds. The Journal of the American Medical Association307(4): 391–397.
18.
GrandjeanPHeilmannCWeiheP, et al. (2017) Estimated exposures to perfluorinated compounds in infancy predict attenuated vaccine antibody concentrations at age 5-years. Journal of Immunotoxicology14(1): 188–195.
19.
GuoZLiuXKrebsKA, et al. (2009) Perfluorocarboxylic acid content in 116 articles of commerce. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development. EPA/600/R-09/033. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/env/48125746.pdf.
20.
ImpinenANygaardUCLødrup CarlsenKC, et al. (2018) Prenatal exposure to perfluoralkyl substances (PFASs) associated with respiratory tract infections but not allergy- and asthma-related health outcomes in childhood. Environmental Research160: 518–523.
21.
JianJMGuoYZengL, et al. (2017) Global distribution of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in potential human exposure source-A review. Environment International108: 51–62.
22.
KaboréHAVo DuySMunozG, et al. (2018) Worldwide drinking water occurrence and levels of newly-identified perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The Science of the Total Environment616–617: 1089–1100.
23.
KvalemHENygaardUCLødrup CarlsenKC, et al. (2020) Perfluoroalkyl substances, airways infections, allergy and asthma related health outcomes - implications of gender, exposure period and study design. Environment International134: 105259.
24.
LangJRAllredBMFieldJA, et al. (2017) National estimate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) release to U.S. municipal landfill leachate. Environmental Science and Technology51(4): 2197–2205.
25.
LeeHTevlinAGMaburySA, et al. (2014) Fate of polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diesters and their metabolites in biosolids-applied soil: biodegradation and plant uptake in greenhouse and field experiments. Environmental Science and Technology48(1): 340–349.
26.
LookerCLusterMICalafatAM, et al. (2014) Influenza vaccine response in adults exposed to perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctanesulfonate. Toxicological Sciences : An Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology138(1): 76–88.
PoothongSPapadopoulouEPadilla-SánchezJA, et al. (2020) Multiple pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs): from external exposure to human blood. Environment International134: 105244.
31.
PosnerS (2012) Perfluorinated compounds: occurrence and uses in products. In: KnepperTLangeF (eds) Polyfluorinated Chemicals and Transformation Products. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, Vol. 17.
TrierXGranbyKChristensenJH (2011) Polyfluorinated surfactants (PFS) in paper and board coatings for food packaging. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International18(7): 1108–1120.
37.
TrudelDHorowitzLWormuthM, et al. (2008) Estimating consumer exposure to PFOS and PFOA. Risk Analysis : An Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis28(2): 251–269.
U.S. EPA (2017) Technical Fact Sheet – Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
41.
U.S. EPA (2019) Update for Chapter 3 of the Exposure Factors Handbook. Ingestion of Water and Other Select Liquids. EPA/600/R-18/259F. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available from: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/efp/recordisplay.cfm?deid=343661.
WashburnSTBingmanTSBraithwaiteSK, et al. (2005) Exposure assessment and risk characterization for perfluorooctanoate in selected consumer articles. Environmental Science and Technology39(11): 3904–3910.
45.
YooHWashingtonJWJenkinsTM, et al. (2011) Quantitative determination of perfluorochemicals and fluorotelomer alcohols in plants from biosolid-amended fields using LC/MS/MS and GC/MS. Environmental Science and Technology45(19): 7985–7990.
46.
YuanGPengHHuangC, et al. (2016) Ubiquitous occurrence of fluorotelomer alcohols in eco-friendly paper-made food-contact materials and their implication for human exposure. Environmental Science and Technology50(2): 942–950.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
