Assessment of Health Effects Linked to PFAS Exposure as Emerging Concerns in Veterinary Medicine.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a broad class of widespread environmental contaminants, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and their ability to progressively bioaccumulate and biomagnify.
Growing concern has arisen over the potential toxic effects of PFASs, driven by numerous human studies demonstrating associations between PFASs exposure and adverse physiological outcomes.
In particular, the effects of these compounds on domestic animals, including both companion and food-producing species, remain poorly understood.
Among the potential toxic impacts, alterations in reproductive and immune functions are of particular concern in Veterinary Medicine.
In livestock, such effects may compromise productivity, reproductive efficiency, and general health status, ultimately affecting animal welfare and the sustainability of farming systems.
Moreover, PFASs presence in edible tissues and milk may increase food safety risks with possible implications for human exposure through the food chain.
In companion animals, chronic exposure to these substances could similarly disrupt physiological homeostasis and compromise their overall well-being.
Given their intimate and prolonged cohabitation with humans, these species may also act as sentinels of environmental contamination, providing early indicators of shared toxicological risks from a One Health perspective.
In this context, the objectives of this Ph.D. project are:
- To determine exposure to PFASs in animals from low- and high-risk areas of Northern Italy;
- To characterize maternal and early-life transfer, evaluating transplacental passage and the presence of PFASs in colostrum;
- To investigate the influence of prenatal PFASs exposure on reproductive development and future performance in livestock and companion animals;
- To assess the effects of PFASs exposure on innate and adaptive immune responses in young animals.
I obtained my Master’s Degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Milan (UNIMI) in July 2025, graduating with a final evaluation of 110/110 cum laude. My master’s thesis focused on the factors associated with neonatal survival within the first 24 hours after birth in two large canine breeds.
During my studies, I completed both undergraduate and postgraduate fellowships at the Ruminant and Swine Clinic and at the Reproduction Operative Unit of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of UNIMI.
In 2020, I also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Husbandry and Welfare (Allevamento e Benessere Animale – ABA) at UNIMI with a final evaluation grade of 110/110 cum laude.
My main interests are the pharmaco-toxicological effects of xenobiotics on animal health, animal reproduction and neonatology, and bovine internal medicine.
Publications: Orcid
Supervisor Prof. Federica Di Cesare
Co-supervisor Prof. Petra Picò Cagnardi , Prof. Davide Pravettoni
