At this time, scientists are still learning about the health effects of exposures to mixtures of different PFAS.
One way to learn about whether PFAS will harm people is to do studies on lab animals.
Most animal studies have tested doses of PFAS that are higher than the doses people experience from environmental exposure.
These animal studies have found that PFAS can cause damage to the liver and the immune system.
PFAS have also caused low birth weight, birth defects, delayed development, and newborn deaths in lab animals.
Humans and animals react differently to PFAS, and not all effects observed in animals may occur in humans. Scientists have ways to estimate how the exposure and effects in animals compare to what they would be in humans.
Additional research may change our understanding of the relationship between exposure to PFAS and human health effects.