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PFOA

Perfluorooctanoic acid

2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-pentadecafluorooctanoic acid

Also known as PFOA C8TeflonScotchgard
PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACIDPentadecafluorooctanoic acidPFOA2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-Pentadecafluorooctanoic acidPerfluorocaprylic acidPerfluoroctanoic acidPerfluoroheptanecarboxylic acidPerfluoro-n-octanoic acid

An 8-carbon long-chain PFCA — IARC Group 1 carcinogen (2023); 2024 NPDWR individual MCL of 4 ppt with MCLG of zero. Legacy Teflon manufacturing chemistry, phased out by major U.S. producers post-2002.

Group
PFAS
Regulatory status
Primary
NPDWR — federally enforced MCL
Top removal tech
Activated carbon

Primary concern: Cancer (IARC Group 1, 2023)

Affected organ systems

Liver Reproductive Immune Developmental Endocrine Affecting the body's hormone system — thyroid, adrenal, reproductive, or metabolic hormones.

Health effects

Carcinogen A substance known or reasonably suspected to cause cancer based on human or animal studies. Endocrine disruptor Mimics or blocks the body's hormones (estrogen, thyroid, testosterone). Can affect development, reproduction, and metabolism at very low doses. Developmental toxin Causes harm during development before birth or in early childhood — birth defects, low birth weight, delayed growth, or learning problems later in life. Immunotoxin Suppresses or alters the immune system. Can increase risk of infection or reduce vaccine effectiveness. Hepatotoxin Damages the liver. Effects range from elevated liver enzymes on a blood test to fatty liver disease and, with prolonged exposure, liver cancer. Reproductive toxin Harms the reproductive system — affects fertility, sperm or egg quality, or hormone signaling related to reproduction.

Exposure routes

Drinking water Dietary Occupational In utero Breast milk

Vulnerable populations

Pregnant Infants Children

Overview

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an eight-carbon perfluorinated carboxylic acid and one of the most studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It was used for decades as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers such as PTFE (Teflon) and in the production of stain- and grease-resistant coatings on textiles, paper, and food packaging. PFOA is extraordinarily persistent: its carbon–fluorine bonds resist environmental degradation, and it bioaccumulates in human serum with a half-life of roughly 2.4 years. Major U.S. manufacturers voluntarily phased out PFOA production by 2015, but legacy contamination of soil, surface water, and groundwater remains widespread.

Pollution sources

Industry Military AFFF Aqueous Film-Forming Foam — firefighting foam used at military bases and airports for fuel fires. The leading source of PFAS contamination in groundwater near former training sites. Manufacturing Consumer products

Sources

PFOA enters drinking water primarily through industrial discharges from fluorochemical manufacturing plants, releases from fire-training areas and airfields where aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) was used, leachate from landfills that received PFAS-containing consumer products, and atmospheric deposition. Communities near former 3M, DuPont/Chemours, and military installations have documented some of the highest concentrations. Once in groundwater, PFOA migrates with little attenuation and persists for decades.

Health risks

PFOA was classified by IARC as a Group 1 human carcinogen in 2023, citing sufficient evidence for kidney cancer and limited evidence for testicular cancer. Epidemiological studies have also linked PFOA exposure to elevated cholesterol, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and reduced antibody response to childhood vaccines. The C8 Health Project — a multi-year study of ~69,000 people exposed to PFOA-contaminated drinking water in the mid-Ohio Valley — established probable links to six diseases. EPA's 2024 Human Health Toxicity Assessment set the lifetime drinking-water health advisory at 0.004 ppt, below current analytical reporting limits.

Effective treatments

Activated carbon Granular or block carbon that traps organic contaminants as water flows through. The most common point-of-use filter media — handles chlorine taste, VOCs, pesticides, and many PFAS. Reverse osmosis A semipermeable membrane that pushes water through under pressure, leaving most dissolved contaminants behind. Removes a very broad range — PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrate, salts — at the cost of slower flow and some wastewater. Ion exchange Resin beads that swap unwanted ions (lead, calcium, certain PFAS, perchlorate) for harmless ones like sodium. Common in water softeners and PFAS treatment columns.

Does not remove

UV Ultraviolet light that disrupts the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa as water flows past the lamp. Disinfects but doesn't remove chemicals or particles. Chlorination Adds chlorine or hypochlorite to kill bacteria and viruses. The most common disinfection method in US water systems; leaves a residual that keeps water protected through the distribution pipes. Boil Kills bacteria, viruses, and protozoa after a one-minute rolling boil. Does NOT remove chemicals like lead, nitrate, or PFAS — boiling actually concentrates them as water evaporates.

NSF certifications

NSF/ANSI 53 Health-related contaminants NSF/ANSI 58 Reverse osmosis systems NSF/ANSI 401 Emerging compounds / incidental contaminants NSF P473 PFOA / PFOS removal

Water treatment

PFOA is effectively removed by granular activated carbon (GAC), anion exchange resin (selective for short- and long-chain PFAS), and high-pressure membrane processes including reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF P473 certify point-of-use filters specifically for PFOA reduction; NSF/ANSI 58 covers RO systems. Conventional treatment processes — coagulation, sand filtration, disinfection, UV, and ozonation — do not remove PFOA. Boiling water concentrates rather than removes it.

Gallery

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Chemistry + classification data sourced from public databases (PubChem, EPA CompTox, IARC monographs); 3D molecular models from 3d.nih.gov where available.