Being exposed to so-called ‘forever chemicals’ can increase the risks for women of being diagnosed with ovarian and other cancers, research has suggested.
The US study, funded by the government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has argued that women diagnosed with some “hormonally driven” cancers had had prior exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals.
PFAS chemicals have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because of their longevity in the environment, and are used in thousands of household and industrial products, including in stain- and heat-resistant items as well as non-stick pans.
The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, concluded that women exposed to several widely used PFAS chemicals reported increased incidence of ovarian and other certain types of cancers, including a doubling of odds for melanoma. Intriguingly, it did not find similar associations between the chemicals and cancer diagnoses in men.
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“People should care about this because we know that there is widespread human exposure to these chemicals and we have documented data on that,” Max Aung, assistant professor of environmental health at the USC Kreck School of Medicine and a senior author of the study, told The Guardian newspaper.
“These chemicals can increase the risk of various different health outcomes and they can alter your biological pathways … That is important to know so that we can better prevent exposures and mitigate risks,” Professor Aung added.
The research team found notable differences in women from different racial groups. Links between PFAS and ovarian and uterine cancers were seen mainly in white women, while associations between chemicals known as phenols and breast cancer were seen largely in non-white women.
The researchers cautioned it is not clear exactly why such differences exist, but it could be down to dietary habits and proximity to contaminated drinking water sources, among other factors.
The study is based on analysis of data collected through a CDC biomonitoring programme from 2005 to 2018, which involved more than 10,000 people.
It is also part of ongoing research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to “better understand” how PFAS chemicals are affecting human health.
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