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Nationwide Monitoring and Hepatic Mixture Risk Assessment of PFASs in Korean Drinking Water Using Relative Potency
Yubeen Kim1,2,3, Shervin Hashemi4, Heesoo Pyo5
1Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
This study assessed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in Korean drinking water using relative potency factors (RPFs). The RPF method revealed higher mixture risks than individual assessments, highlighting potential underestimation of co-occurring PFAS risks.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent contaminants found in drinking water.
- Assessing the cumulative health risks of PFAS mixtures is challenging due to their co-occurrence.
- Existing methods may underestimate risks from combined exposure to multiple PFAS compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of relative potency factors (RPFs) for assessing hepatic mixture risks of PFASs in Korean drinking water.
- To compare RPF-based risk assessment with traditional single-compound hazard quotient (HQ) calculations.
- To determine the applicability of RPFs for estimating PFOA-equivalent mixture risks.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of eight PFAS compounds in 1254 finished drinking water samples from 70 treatment plants (2018-2024).
- Application of National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) hepatic RPFs using a structured scoring system.
- Calculation of Hazard Quotients (HQs) based on hepatic toxicity reference doses for comparison.
Main Results:
- PFAS concentrations, including PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS, generally declined between 2018 and 2024.
- The RPF-based approach yielded higher cumulative risk estimates compared to individual toxicity assessments.
- While overall risks were below 1.0, the 95th percentile PFOA-equivalent risk for PFNA surpassed the individual threshold of 0.1.
Conclusions:
- RPF-based assessment is a valuable tool for evaluating hepatic risks of PFAS mixtures in drinking water.
- Single-compound HQ assessments may underestimate the risks associated with co-occurring PFASs.
- Endpoint-specific RPF application supports more accurate risk characterization for PFAS mixtures.
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