Researchers have for the first time linked exposure to PFAS, or so-called ‘forever chemicals’ that do not break down in the environment, and a heightened risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
A research team from the University of Padua in Italy investigated exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals (or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) by reviewing death records from northern Italy’s Veneto region.
Veneto’s drinking water was widely contaminated by a PFAS-production plant between 1985 and 2018. The researchers first found an excess of about 4,000 deaths during this period, or about one every three days.
However, because part of the region was also supplied with water from a different source, researchers were then able to compare records for tens of thousands of people who drank contaminated water and lived near those who did not. The research has been publised in the journal Environmental Health.
The team, led by Annibale Biggeri, an epidemiologist and researcher at the university, found evidence of increased incidence of kidney cancer, elevated levels of testicular cancer, and that the chemicals can accumulate in placentas and be passed on to children during pregnancy.
The chemicals are also linked to birth defects, decreased immunity, liver problems and a range of other serious diseases.
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However, while these links have been well-known from previous studies, the latest research also found a link between PFAS and mortality from cardiovascular disease.
This is because PFAS can lead to persistent elevation of cholesterol levels, driven by hormonal disruptions that impede the body’s ability to regulate arterial plaque build-up, the researchers concluded.
The impact of the psychological stress and anxiety from the scandal could also have been a contributory factor, they argued.
“For the first time, the association of PFAS with mortality from cardiovascular disease was formally demonstrated in the world’s largest exposed population,” Biggeri concluded.
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She also called for “an immediate ban of PFAS production and to start implementing additional remediation activities in contaminated areas”.
On top of this, health surveillance programmes “should give more consideration to the psychological impact of environmental pollution”, Biggeri argued, as this “is poorly recognised by the health authorities responsible for managing disasters”.
