Stuffed toys as a source of oral PFAS exposure: Migration into artificial saliva and exposure assessment.

Léa Nowak, Jérémy Beaud, Loïc Sartori, Anne Onidi, Lionel Cretegny, Camille Rime, Davide Staedler, Fiorella Lucarini

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Léa NowakDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 27, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Jérémy BeaudSchool of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, Institute of Chemical Technology, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Boulevard de Pérolles 80, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Loïc SartoriSchool of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, Institute of Chemical Technology, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Boulevard de Pérolles 80, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Anne OnidiFédération romande des consommateurs (FRC), Rue de Genève 17, 1003, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Lionel CretegnyFédération romande des consommateurs (FRC), Rue de Genève 17, 1003, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Camille RimeTIBIOLab Sàrl, Route d'Yverdon 34, 1373, Chavornay, Switzerland.

Davide StaedlerDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 27, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. davide.staedler@unil.ch.

Fiorella LucariniSchool of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, Institute of Chemical Technology, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Boulevard de Pérolles 80, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland. fiorella.lucarini@hefr.ch.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used in textiles and consumer products, resulting in ubiquitous human exposure. Infants and young children may experience distinct exposure patterns due to mouthing behavior, yet oral exposure from textile-based products such as stuffed toys remains poorly characterized.

objectiveThis study aimed to quantify saliva-mediated PFAS migration from commercially available stuffed toys under mouthing-relevant conditions, assess the potential contribution to early-life exposure, and evaluate the effectiveness of washing as a mitigation measure.

methodsEighteen stuffed toys intended for infants and toddlers were analysed. PFAS migration was assessed using artificial saliva under standardized conditions and quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Deterministic exposure assessment was performed to estimate daily and weekly intake, complemented by margin of exposure (MOE) calculations and reverse dosimetry based on biomonitoring data. The effect of a standardized water-rinsing step on PFAS migration was also investigated.

resultsPFAS were detected in all toys, with migration profiles dominated by short-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, particularly perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). A limited number of toys accounted for most of the PFAS released. Estimated intakes for EFSA-regulated PFAS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)) remained below the tolerable weekly intake (TWI), whereas MOE and reverse-dosimetry analyses highlighted compound- and product-specific exposure relevance for short-chain and emerging PFAS. Washing reduced PFAS migration in most cases but increased migration for some PFAS and products, indicating heterogeneous and non-systematic effects. IMPACT: This study demonstrates that stuffed toys represent a relevant and often underappreciated source of early-life PFAS exposure. PFAS migration was observed across all products and was dominated by short-chain compounds, with perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) emerging as the main driver of exposure relevance. While intake of EFSA-regulated PFAS remained below guidance values, PFHxA showed a large influence on exposure metrics, including reduced MOE and high relative contributions in reverse-dosimetry analyses. These findings reveal an important regulatory and knowledge gap for emerging PFAS and highlight the need to integrate mouthing-relevant exposure pathways into risk assessment of products intended for young children.

Identifiers

PMID42481871

DOI10.1038/s41370-025-00806-x

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Textmetadata

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.