Evaluation of the research trends on perfluorinated compounds using bibliometric analysis: knowledge gap and future perspectives

Abstract

Detection of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the environment has been a global concern because of the risk they pose due to their endocrine-disruptive properties. This study analyzed the global trends and research productivity of PFCs from 1990 to 2021. A total number of 3256 articles on PFCs were retrieved from the Web of Science focusing on different environmental and biological matrices. An increase in the productivity of research on PFCs was observed during the survey period which indicates that more research and publications on this class of contaminants are expected in the future. Evaluating the most productive countries and the number of citations per country on PFCs research shows that China and the United States of America were ranked in first and second places. It was also observed that research on PFCs received the most attention from scientists in developed countries, with little research emerging from Africa. Hence, research on PFCs in developing countries, especially low-income countries should be promoted. Consequently, more research programs should be implemented to investigate PFCs in countries and regions where research on these contaminants is low. The study will help researchers, government agencies and policymakers to tailor future research, allocation of funds to PFCs research and countries’ collaboration.

Keywords:

• Perfluorinated contaminants
• developed countries
• Africa
• environment
• web of science

Acknowledgment

The authors appreciate the Govan Mbeki Research and Development Center (GMRDC), University of Fort Hare and South African Medical Research Council for funding support.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the publication of this study.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated and analyzed in this manuscript are herein in this article and raw data will be made available on request.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported with funding from Govan Mbeki Research and Development Center (GMRDC), University of Fort Hare, and South African Medical Research Council (Grant Number: P790).