CINCINNATI, Ohio (Ivanhoe Newswire) — They are known as forever chemicals. They can be life-threatening and just about everyone has been exposed to them. PFAS are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products since the 1950’s. Now scientists are getting a clearer picture of just how dangerous these chemicals are.
It keeps our food from sticking and our clothes from burning.
“They can be found in house dust,” explained Susan Pinney, PhD an Epidemiologist at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances or PFAS are used in aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronic industries. Over time PFAS leak into our soil and water and because they break down slowly, if at all, almost everyone is repeatedly exposed to them.
Pinney told Ivanhoe, “The PFAS have long half-lives, which mean they are retained in the body for a long time.”
PFAS can cause increased cholesterol levels, lower immunity, and some cancers. and now a new study out of the University of Cincinnati shows that exposure to PFAS may impact young girls.
“We found that PFAS delayed the onset of puberty,” stated Pinney.
The results found 85% of the young girls in the study had measurable levels of PFAS in their blood — impacting the same hormones that delay the onset of puberty which could in turn make these girls more susceptible to breast cancer, infertility, and endometriosis.
“Puberty is a time of susceptibility to environmental exposures,” Pinney told Ivanhoe.
So, what can you do? Use a water filter that removes PFAS, when possible, opt for products labeled as PFAS-free.
She says, “If you have old Teflon cookware, get rid of it. because the older it gets, the more PFAS contamination you get for the food that you cook in it.”
The study also found that over 99% of the girls in the two cohorts had measurable levels of P-F-O-A, one of the most important of the PFAS. Now new research will be focused on whether PFAS are related to later life cancer such as renal and prostate cancers.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Tim Tedeschi
Public Information Officer, University of Cincinnati
216-956-5313
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