Serum perfluorooctane sulfonate and hepatic and lipid clinical chemistry tests in fluorochemical production employees

The 3M Company manufactures fluorochemicals, which have as a precursor perf luorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (C8F17SO2F). These compounds may be expected to transform metabolically, to an undetermined degree, to perfluorooctane s ulfonate (PFOS, C8F17SO3-) as art endstage metabolite. Subchronic studies i n rats and primates indicate a potential for cumulative toxicity with PFOS with the primary effect related to metabolic wasting with hypolipidemia as a consistent finding. Biennial medical surveillance has been offered to the company's fluorochemical production workers located in Decatur, Alabama, a nd Antwerp, Belgium. In 1995, the mean serum PFOS level, as measured by hig h-peformance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry , for 178 male employe es was 2.19 parts per million (ppm; range, 0.00 to 12.83 ppm), and in 1997, for 149 male employees, it was 1.75 ppm (0.10 to 9.93 ppm). Our analyses s uggest that among these production employees, there were no substantial cha nges in serum hepatic enzymes, cholesterol, or lipoproteins associated with PFOS levels less than 6 ppm. It was not possible to derive inferences from the few employees who had serum PFOS levels greater than or equal to 6 ppm . These results may be due to the lower levels of serum PFOS measured among these production employees, compared to those suspected to cause effects i n laboratory animals.