PFAS-Tox Database

PFAS-Tox Database catalogs and organizes peer-reviewed health and toxicological research on 29 specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to support evaluation of their health effects.

Key Features:

• Chemical scope: Focuses on 29 specific per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• Systematic curation: Systematically maps and organizes peer-reviewed human, animal, and in vitro PFAS studies.
• Protocol: Follows a protocol published on Zenodo (Pelch et al. 2019c) and peer-reviewed in Environment International (Pelch et al. 2019d).
• Literature source and cutoff: Compiles studies retrieved from PubMed through January 25, 2021.
• Inclusion criteria: Applies Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PECO) criteria to select studies.
• Study coverage: Screens >15,000 records and includes 1,067 studies comprising 505 human, 385 animal, and 220 in vitro studies.
• Data extraction: Extracts study-level data and presents extracted information in summary tables.
• Evidence characterization: Identifies data gaps and clusters within the PFAS literature to inform research priorities.
• Support for targeted reviews: Enables targeted synthesis for topics such as immune effects, PFAS mixtures, and short-chain PFAS.

Scientific Applications:

• Regulatory risk assessment: Provides compiled study-level evidence to inform regulatory evaluations of PFAS health risks.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: Serves as a curated source for conducting systematic reviews on immune effects, mixtures, and short-chain PFAS.
• Research prioritization: Guides prioritization of experimental and epidemiological research by highlighting evidence gaps and clusters.
• Cross-disciplinary evidence synthesis: Facilitates integration of human, animal, and in vitro data for multidisciplinary assessments of PFAS effects.

Methodology:

Followed the Pelch et al. protocol (Zenodo 2019c; peer-reviewed in Environment International 2019d), retrieved studies from PubMed through January 25, 2021, applied PECO inclusion criteria, screened >15,000 records to include 1,067 studies (505 human, 385 animal, 220 in vitro), and extracted study-level data into summary tables.