{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T04:40:55Z","timestamp":1760503255280,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760140800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"APC"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants of emerging concern due to their widespread use and potential adverse health effects. This study assessed the concentrations of key PFAS compounds in yogurt samples collected from eleven Lebanese governorates. Results revealed notable geographic variability, with the Bekaa region exhibiting the highest PFAS levels, particularly PFHpA, PFOA, PFHxS, PFOS, and PFPeA, while Jbeil showed the lowest concentrations. Health risk assessment using estimated daily intake (EDI), risk quotients (RQ), and cumulative hazard index (HI) indicated all individual compound exposures below established safety thresholds. However, elevated RQs for PFOS and PFOA and an average HI of 0.71 suggest potential chronic exposure concerns in high-burden regions. These findings emphasize the importance of continued monitoring and risk management to protect public health and inform environmental policies addressing PFAS contamination in Lebanon.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14203472","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,14]],"date-time":"2025-10-14T10:37:14Z","timestamp":1760438234000},"page":"3472","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Yogurt Across Lebanese Governorates"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6632-2879","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandra","family":"Sarkis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ecole Doctorale Sciences et Sant\u00e9 (EDSS), Medical Sciences Campus, Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), Beirut 1100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7392-4835","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maha","family":"Hoteit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PHENOL Research Group (Public Health Nutrition Program-Lebanon), Faculty of Public Health, Lebanese University, Beirut 1100, Lebanon"},{"name":"Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, P.O. Box 24005, Nicosia 1700, Cyprus"},{"name":"Institut National de Sant\u00e9 Publique, d\u2019Epid\u00e9miologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban (INSPECT-LB), Beirut 1100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6679-2296","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Tzenios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Public Health, Charisma University, London EC1V 7QE, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-0085-1686","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tony","family":"Tannous","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Balamand, Tripoli P.O. Box 100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8205-4955","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mireille","family":"Harmouche-Karaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), Beirut 1100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khalil","family":"Helou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), Beirut 1100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Matta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), Beirut 1100, Lebanon"},{"name":"Industrial Research Institute, Lebanese University Campus, Hadat Baabda, Beirut 1100, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM), Schrenk, D., Bignami, M., Bodin, L., Chipman, J.K., del Mazo, J., Grasl-Kraupp, B., Hogstrand, C., Hoogenboom, L., and Leblanc, J.C. 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