Heightened PFAS Vulnerability in Specific Populations
While PFAS poses health risks to the general population, certain groups face elevated vulnerability due to compromised elimination capacity, higher relative water consumption, or pre-existing conditions that PFAS may exacerbate. Elderly individuals may have reduced renal function affecting PFAS elimination. Immunocompromised individuals — including cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, and people with autoimmune conditions treated with immunosuppressants — may face greater consequences from PFAS immunotoxicity. Dialysis patients represent a special case requiring particular attention.
PFAS and Dialysis
Dialysis patients receive large volumes of purified water — roughly 300 to 400 liters per treatment session — that is directly used in the dialysis process. PFAS in dialysis water creates direct exposure to blood through the dialyzer membrane. Dialysis facilities are required to meet AAMI water purity standards but these standards did not originally address PFAS. As PFAS awareness has grown, dialysis facilities are increasingly evaluating their water treatment systems for PFAS removal, and some are adding carbon filtration or RO stages specifically for PFAS.
Hospital and Healthcare Facility Water
Hospitals and healthcare facilities have added attention to PFAS in water for patient care applications — particularly for immunocompromised patients in oncology, transplant, and intensive care units where water quality is critical. Point-of-use water treatment at patient taps using NSF-certified filtration provides an additional barrier beyond facility-wide treatment for the most vulnerable inpatient populations.
Home Care and Long-Term Care Settings
Elderly individuals in home care or assisted living settings who rely on tap water and may have reduced renal PFAS elimination benefit from point-of-use PFAS treatment. Caregivers and family members of vulnerable individuals in PFAS-contaminated water areas are advised to install and maintain certified PFAS reduction systems, particularly for drinking and medication preparation water. The additional cost of home water filtration is modest relative to the potential health benefit for populations with the highest PFAS sensitivity.