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Evaluating Dermal Metabolism and Uptake as Pathways of Human Exposure to Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances (PFAS) in Cosmetics (FluoroCosm)

Descripción del proyecto

Un modelo de piel 3D «in vitro» para evaluar productos químicos cosméticos

Las sustancias per y polifluoroalquilo (PFAS) son compuestos químicos sintéticos que se encuentran en altas concentraciones en diversos productos, entre los que se incluyen los cosméticos. Un grupo de científicos del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos FluoroCosm busca determinar la toxicidad de estos compuestos tras el contacto con la piel humana. Para ello, utilizarán innovadoras técnicas de cultivo de tejidos humanos en 3D con el fin de estudiar la absorción y el metabolismo de las PFAS. Este enfoque de un equivalente a la piel tiene el potencial de servir como modelo avanzado para investigar la implicación de la piel en la farmacocinética de los PFAS. Además, ofrecerá una evaluación precisa del riesgo de estos compuestos químicos, así como información acerca de su efecto sobre la salud humana.

Objetivo

FluoroCosm is a multidisciplinary project that combines advanced environmental analytical chemistry with innovative 3D human tissue culture techniques to study the dermal absorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from Cosmetic products. Recent studies detected PFAS compounds in various cosmetic products on the European market at high levels (up to 470 μg/g). The main hypothesis that FluoroCosm tests is that PFAS can be metabolized and absorbed through human skin, suggesting frequent contact with PFAS-containing cosmetics can lead to significant body burdens and thus adverse health effects.
While dermal contact with consumer products has been highlighted as a major pathway of human exposure to brominated flame retardants and was correlated with their levels in serum, no information are currently available on the dermal metabolism/absorption of PFAS, which hinders accurate risk assessment of these chemicals. Therefore, FluoroCosm aims to fill this major research gap by assessing human dermal metabolism/absorption of various PFAS present in Cosmetics, through real-life exposure scenarios.
This will be achieved using innovative in vitro 3D human skin equivalent cultures as alternatives to animal/human tissues. The results will be applied to develop an advanced pharmacokinetic model to evaluate the contribution of the dermal pathway to PFAS human body burdens and the potential toxic implications for such exposure.
Our vision is that improved understanding of various aspects of human dermal exposure to PFAS will provide for more accurate risk assessment studies. This will benefit public health and regulators by providing the necessary knowledge base to inform policies on correct measurements to limit human exposure to PFAS. FluoroCosm will also benefit scientists by delivering sustainable effective approaches to assessing human dermal exposure to current-use hazardous chemicals.

Coordinador

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 224 933,76
Dirección
Edgbaston
B15 2TT Birmingham
Reino Unido

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Región
West Midlands (England) West Midlands Birmingham
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Otras fuentes de financiación
€ 0,00