PFBA

Synonyms: Perfluorobutanoic Acid

CAS Number: 375-22-4

Sources of exposure:

Contaminated drinking water and food; industrial emissions; firefighting foam; household dust; breakdown of other PFAS; occupational exposure

Description:

PFBA is a short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS). It may be released directly by industrial processes or formed through the breakdown of other fluorinated chemicals used in coatings, food packaging, textiles, and firefighting foams. PFBA is highly mobile in soil and water and extremely persistent in the environment, allowing it to spread far from its original source. Its long-term health effects remain poorly understood because short-chain and replacement PFAS have not been studied as extensively as legacy PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS. Limited evidence of harm should not be interpreted as evidence of safety. Because this PFAS is environmentally persistent and may remain mobile or bioaccumulative depending on its structure and exposure setting, the glossary applies a precautionary approach where long-term hazard and exposure information is limited.

Health concerns:

No specific health concerns have been flagged for this chemical.

Banned/restricted lists:

Minnesota Amara's Law
California AB 1817-PFAS in textile articles

HOW MILLION MARKER SCORES CHEMICALS

Million Marker's Ingredient Hazard Scoring uses multiple chemical databases and a science-backed scoring system to compute hazard scores for thousands of chemicals found in consumer products and listed on ingredient labels.

We identified key chemicals based on a database compiling dozens of authoritative sources, screening tools, and QSAR models.

Hazard scores within 11 different health categories (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxicants, developmental toxicants, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, skin/eye/respiratory irritants, and ecotoxicity).

They are weighted based on several factors, including strength of evidence for adverse impacts in humans, severity, and potential contamination.