PFAS in the Context of Planetary Health: Fate, Exposure, and Risks

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) comprise a large and chemically diverse class of anthropogenic contaminants distinguished by their exceptional environmental persistence, high mobility, and widespread bioaccumulative potential. Owing to the strength of carbon–fluorine bonds, PFAS resist natural degradation processes, enabling long-term circulation within the Earth system and sustained accumulation across atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic, and biological compartments. Within the framework of planetary health, PFAS are increasingly recognized as a critical planetary boundary concern, as global environmental concentrations have surpassed levels considered protective of human health and ecosystem integrity.

This Collection addresses PFAS as emerging contaminants by examining their production and use, environmental release, fate and transport, exposure pathways, and associated risks. Emphasis is placed on the physicochemical properties governing PFAS persistence and mobility, including transport through hydrological systems, interactions with soils and sediments, and accumulation within aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Soils and oceans serve as major long-term reservoirs, while short-chain and alternative PFAS exhibit enhanced mobility, presenting substantial challenges for environmental monitoring, exposure assessment, and remediation. Climate-driven processes—such as permafrost thaw, glacial melt, and changing hydrological regimes—may further alter the redistribution and remobilization of legacy PFAS at regional and global scales. The Collection also highlights advances in understanding human and ecological exposure, encompassing dietary intake, consumer product use, early-life transfer, and trophic bioaccumulation. Evidence of chronic, low-level exposure, mixture effects, and the widespread adoption of replacement PFAS underscores persistent uncertainties in hazard characterization and risk evaluation.

We invite submissions of Original Research articles, Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments on topics including, but not limited to:

• Production, Use, and Environmental Release: Sources, emission pathways, and inventories of legacy and emerging PFAS.
• Detection and Analytical Advances: Novel methods for identifying and quantifying PFAS in complex environmental and biological matrices.
• Distribution and Environmental Fate: Transport, persistence, transformation, and bioaccumulation across environmental compartments.
• Exposure and Planetary Health Risks: Human and ecological exposure pathways, toxicological mechanisms, and mixture effects.
• Model-Based Risk Assessment: Integrated modeling of PFAS fate, exposure, and health or ecosystem risks.
• Global Control and Mitigation Efforts: Regulatory frameworks, class-based management strategies, and remediation approaches.