SaferWorldbyDesign Webinar: Fish Consumption Benefits and PFAS Risks Epidemiology

Fish intake has been associated with benefits, although fish often has chemical contaminants that are associated with risks. Optimizing the benefits is desirable for individual and population health. However, comparison values (e.g., reference doses, RfDs) to estimate contaminant or pollutant safety thresholds typically do not account for the benefits of the foods that carry them (e.g., fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables). Rather, these numbers are applied the same way for various media such as food, soil, and water. This presentation summarizes principal epidemiology studies on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-associated noncancer health indicators used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to develop RfDs for PFAS and compares these with the same health outcomes associated with fish intake. In addition, it discusses approaches that risk assessors and policy makers might consider in developing their fish consumption recommendations in relation to PFAS.

Presenter: Ali Hamade (Oregon Health Authority)

Ali Hamade is a toxicologist and currently a deputy state epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority where he serves as a subject matter expert on topics of environmental exposures and health, risk assessment, climate change, injuries, and environmental health aspects of infectious disease transmission. He has held roles at other state and city health departments and as a consultant. Ali has a bachelor’s in medical lab from the American University of Beirut, a doctorate in toxicology from the University of California Irvine, and a certificate in risk sciences and public policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.