PFAS in Transplant Donor Tissue
Organ and tissue donors from PFAS-contaminated communities carry PFAS body burdens in transplantable organs—kidneys, livers, lungs, and hearts—as well as in blood, bone marrow, and tissue allografts. As PFAS contamination of donor populations increases, transplant medicine is beginning to evaluate the implications of PFAS-laden donated tissues for recipient health outcomes.
PFAS Concentrations in Donated Organs
Post-mortem studies from PFAS-contaminated regions document organ PFAS concentrations that would, if distributed to transplant recipients, represent acute PFAS dose additions to recipient body burden. Kidney transplants from high-PFAS donors introduce PFAS that may affect graft function given the kidney’s role in PFAS excretion and accumulation.
Transplant Recipient Vulnerability
Transplant recipients receive lifelong immunosuppression that may alter PFAS metabolism and organ sensitivity to PFAS toxicity. The interaction between PFAS immunotoxicity and iatrogenic immunosuppression in transplant recipients creates unique pharmacological considerations that transplant pharmacologists are only beginning to address.
Policy Development
UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) and organ procurement organizations are beginning to evaluate whether PFAS contamination in donor tissue represents a tissue quality consideration relevant to organ allocation decisions. Developing PFAS donor screening protocols—analogous to infectious disease screening—may become relevant as PFAS contamination of donor populations continues