Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid or
perfluorooctane sulfonate (
PFOS) is a man-made
fluorosurfactant and global
pollutant. PFOS was the key ingredient in
Scotchgard, a fabric protector made by
3M, and numerous stain repellents. It was added to Annex B of the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in May 2009. PFOS can be synthesized in industrial production or result from the degradation of precursors. PFOS levels that have been detected in wildlife are considered high enough to affect health parameters, and recently higher serum levels of PFOS were found to be associated with increased risk of
chronic kidney disease in the general US population. "This association was independent of confounders such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, and serum cholesterol level."