HEAL webinar series on the health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because they can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment with some not breaking down at all. These chemicals can be found in many consumer products, such as non-stick frying pans, food packaging, and cosmetics. Scientific evidence has linked PFAS exposure to numerous serious health impacts, including different types of cancer, immune dysfunction and hormone disruption. The EU is currently working to restrict the use of PFAS. 

To raise awareness of the impacts of PFAS on human health, HEAL organises a webinar series on the topic, featuring leading experts in the field who explore the various health effects of PFAS exposure. The first webinar, held in October 2024, focused on the impacts of PFAS on the immune system. The second, held in November 2024, examined PFAS exposure in early life and pregnancy. The third, held in January 2025, explored the links between PFAS and cancer. Recordings of the webinars are available below.

PFAS and Cancer

Dr. Tony Fletcher is an environmental epidemiologist and Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Since 2005, his main research focus has been on the health effects of PFAS. In addition to the various C8 Science Panel studies on health effects in the Mid-Ohio Valley population, which was polluted by PFOA from a DuPont Teflon plant, he has worked with local researchers on two other large population exposures to PFAS: the Veneto region in Italy, polluted by the Miteni PFAS manufacturing facility, and the town of Ronneby in Sweden, polluted by firefighting foam used at a nearby airport. He also participated in an IARC Monograph on the carcinogenicity of PFOA and PFOS. During the webinar he delves into the links between PFAS and Cancer in the context of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation and relevant epidemiological data.

PFAS pollution has been linked to harmful health effects, including some cancers, in different communities. This is why these substances must be regulated urgently, to address this issue now and for the next generations,” said Dr. Tony Fletcher, environmental epidemiologist and Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Tom Buis is Strategic Policy Advisor at KWF Kankerbestrijding (the Dutch Cancer Society), where he focuses on environmental factors and planetary health. Tom has contributed to policy development on various topics: access to medicines and vaccines, carcinogenic environmental factors and intellectual property rights and their impact on health. He has held positions at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation and Wemos. He opens the webinar by explaining PFAS characteristics, and discussing the EU wide PFAS restriction proposal timeline and its potential implications.

What this restriction proposal at an EU level does – is tackle the issue [of PFAS] at the root level – preventing manufacture, and use of PFAS in all sorts of applications, which will ultimately lead to a positive health impact,” said Tom Buis, Strategic Policy Advisor at KWF Kankerbestrijding.

PFAS exposure during pregnancy and early life

Nikolaos (Nikos) Stratakis, PhD, MSc is a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in exposome science and its role in childhood metabolic health. He holds a PhD in Epidemiology from Maastricht University and an MSc in Nutritional Medicine from the University of Surrey. Dr. Stratakis focuses on the complex interactions between environmental exposures and biological pathways that contribute to metabolic diseases, such as metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease. Currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), he combines exposome analysis with multi-omics in population-based birth cohorts to identify early-life environmental determinants of liver disease risk. Dr. Stratakis has published widely in leading journals, and his work seeks to integrate exposome data with molecular profiling to inform precision environmental health strategies for chronic disease prevention across the life course. Dr. Stratakis is a partner in the EU-funded research project ATHLETE, that aims to better understand and prevent the effects of environmental hazards on human health from preconception until adolescence. In this webinar, Mr Stratakis delves into the long-term impacts of PFAS with insights into the link between early-life PFAS and childhood metabolic health.

Research indicates that maternal exposure to PFAS may disrupt key metabolic pathways in offspring, contributing to potential health issues such as obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life. Early life exposure to these ‘forever chemicals’ heightens the urgency to minimize contact during critical development stages to safeguard children’s future health,” said Nikolaos Stratakis, postdoctoral researcher at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

Impacts of PFAS on the immune system

Philippe Grandjean, MD, PhD, dr.h.c. is Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Southern Denmark and Research Professor at the University of Rhode Island. He previously served for 30 years as advisor on toxicology at the Danish Health Authority and for 20 years as Adjunct Professor at Harvard School of Public Health. His recent research on environmental epidemiology has focused on perfluorinated substances. His research has inspired the lowering of PFAS exposure limits in the EU and the US.  In this webinar, Professor Grandjean presents his work on the impacts of PFAS on vaccine responses, and the implications for immunity against infectious diseases:

Studies show that PFAS exposure weakens the immune system, leading to a reduced response to vaccines, particularly in children. This is a very alarming finding, as it leaves people vulnerable to disease. These chemicals are almost everywhere, and they remain in the body for years, accumulating with each exposure. We must take preventive action,” said Philippe Grandjean, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Southern Denmark and Research Professor at the University of Rhode Island.

More resources on PFAS: 

• For more information on how PFAS pollution affects communities across Europe and resources on PFAS, visit HEAL’s PFAS website. 

• HEAL position on the universal PFAS restriction proposal 

• Joint report on PFAS in pesticides by Générations Futures and Pesticide Action Network. 

• European Chemicals Agency: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 

• The ‘forever pollution’ map by Le Monde allows you to explore PFAS contamination sites in Europe