Can PFAS from nonstick cookware cause kidney damage in developing children?

What's actually in it

PFAS build up in the body over years. The kidney is a primary accumulation site because it filters blood continuously. PFAS at high concentrations in the kidney interfere with the transporters and cell functions that make kidneys work.

Developing kidneys are more vulnerable than adult kidneys. Children exposed to PFAS prenatally or during early childhood are exposed during the window when kidney architecture is being established. Disruptions during this window can affect kidney function and capacity for life.

What the research says

A 2026 review on developmental nephrotoxicity of PFAS found mechanistic and epidemiological evidence that PFAS exposure during development impairs kidney growth, reduces kidney volume, and alters kidney function markers. Higher prenatal PFAS exposure was linked to lower estimated glomerular filtration rate in children, a measure of how well kidneys filter blood.

Kidney disease in adulthood is difficult to reverse. The concern with PFAS is that developmental exposure sets a lower baseline kidney function that only becomes clinically apparent later in life as normal age-related kidney decline accelerates.

Replacing nonstick cookware, filtering drinking water, and avoiding PFAS-treated food packaging reduces the ongoing PFAS intake that contributes to children's body burden.