Table 23.
Summary of qualitative evaluation of the impact of uncertainties on the risk assessment of PFASs in food
| Sources of uncertainty | Direction |
|---|---|
| Extrapolation of occurrence data few Member States to whole of Europe | +/–a |
| Limited occurrence data for some PFASs and several food groups | +/– |
| Large proportion of left‐censored data in the final dataset | +/– |
| Using the substitution method at the lower bound (LB) and upper bound (UB) scenario | +/– |
| Including data over the last 10 years while levels in food and humans are declining | + |
| Non‐dietary exposure and contribution from precursors | – |
| Residual confounding, e.g. from life‐style factors in human epi studies | +/– |
| Limited data on PFASs other than PFOS and PFOA | +/– |
| Evidence for an association between PFASs exposure and increased risk of infections is limited | + |
| The derivation of Reference Point | +/– |
| PBPK modelling | +/– |
| Lack of information on the relative potencies of PFASs/ mixture approach | +/– |
| Variability in vaccination response | +/– |
PFAS: perfluoroalkyl substance; PFOA: perfluorooctanoic acid; PFOS: perfluoroheptane sulfonate.
a
+ = uncertainty with potential to cause over‐estimation of exposure/risk; – = uncertainty with potential to cause under‐estimation of exposure/risk.