PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances)

Marissa Hauptman, MD, MPH

Co-Director, Pediatric Environmental Health Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
Co-Director, Region 1 New England Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit
Chief Medical Advisor, Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health, Massachusetts DPH
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of human-made chemicals widely used in consumer products and industry. Due to their persistence in the environment, PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals.” These substances are now commonly found in drinking water, food, consumer products, and industrial waste, and exposure has been linked to various health effects.

This module equips clinicians and public health professionals with the knowledge to identify at-risk populations, assess PFAS exposure and health risks, and provide guidance on how to minimize PFAS exposure.

The PFAS module is part of the Environmental Health Hazards e-learning series. This module is designed to be self-paced and should take most learners approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Learning Objectives: 

At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to:

1. Recognize how PFAS enter the environment and common ways people may be exposed
2. Identify who is most at risk
3. Understand connections between exposure to PFAS and health equity
4. List ways to minimize PFAS exposure and health risks
5. Understand the important role of health care providers and local health officials in risk communication and exposure prevention

In support of improving patient care, Boston Children’s Hospital is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

Boston Children’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

Disclosures

Boston Children’s Hospital adheres to all ACCME Essential Areas, Standards, and Policies. It is Boston Children’s policy that those who have influenced the content of a CE activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that Boston Children’s may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.

The following planners, speakers, and content reviewers, on behalf of themselves, have reported the following relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, reselling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on patients: 

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