Project description
Impact of perfluorinated chemicals on reproductive functions of male firefighters
The EU-funded INFERNO project aims to provide crucial data on male firefighters' exposure to perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) during their professional service. PFCs are highly fluorinated compounds with many industrial applications including aqueous film‐forming foams (AFFFs) used to extinguish fuel-based fires. Thus, firefighters might experience considerably higher exposure to PFCs and are at higher risk of being diagnosed with male infertility compared to the general population. However, the connection between AFFFs used by firefighters and negative health outcomes, including reproductive disorders, have not been sufficiently studied. The INFERNO project allows collaboration between different sectors and disciplines in order to elucidate the role of PFCs on the reproductive functions and health of male firefighters. Moreover, findings will support a more rigorous regulatory framework targeting PFCs collectively rather than on a compound-specific basis.
Objective
Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly fluorinated compounds, with a variety of industrial and consumer uses, including stain resistant coatings, plastics, fire‐resistant coatings, and fire‐fighting fluids. PFAS are the active ingredient in aqueous film‐forming foam (AFFF) use to extinguish fuel-based fires. Potential links between the occupational use of AFFF by firefighters and certain negative health outcomes have not been sufficiently studied. As the overall objective of this study is to investigate the influence of PFAS newly identified in AFFF on reproductive health of firefighters, we will fully delineate PFASs composition found in AFFF and use by firefighters during their duties. We intend to characterize the composition of individual PFASs and their precursors in AFFF using unique analytical set up consisting of liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrom¬etry (LC-ICPMSMS) followed by high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-OrbiTrap -MS). We will perform sampling and analysis of blood and semen in newly recruited group of firefighters after their first exposure to AFFF to monitor the change in concentration levels of the compounds identified in the AFFF and evaluate the relations with fertility parameters (sperm count, morphology, motility), as firefighters are at higher risk to be diagnosed with male infertility. To directly compare in vivo observations and verify our findings we will set up in vitro experiments to elucidate the effects of these compounds on steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis pathways. The proposed interdisciplinary study is a major step in elucidating the role of PFAS originating from AFFF in male reproductive health. Moreover, these findings will also support efforts designed to introduce a more rigorous regulatory framework tackling PFAS collectively rather than on a compound-specific basis.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineandrology
- social sciencessociologydemographyfertility
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencessocial biomedical sciencessexual health
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- natural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymass spectrometry
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Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
601 77 Brno
Czechia