A new study has revealed that there is a clear link between women with cancer and chemical exposure to endocrine-disrupting substances like PFAS and BPA.
Women with cancer in their breasts, ovaries, skin, and uterus have significantly higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies, the study found.
While it does not prove that exposure to chemicals like PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) and phenols (including BPA) led to these cancer diagnoses, it is a strong signal that they may be playing a role and should be studied further.
The new research was published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
The presence of PFAs in our bodies is rife
PFAS have contaminated water, food and people through products such as Teflon pans, waterproof clothing, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, and food packaging.
They are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they are resistant to breaking down and, therefore, last for decades in the environment.
PFAS also remain in people’s systems anywhere from several months to years.
“These PFAS chemicals appear to disrupt hormone function in women, which is one potential mechanism that increases the odds of women with cancer,” said Amber Cathey, PhD, lead author of the study and a research faculty scientist at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health.
The study was conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco (UCSF), the University of Southern California (USC), and the University of Michigan.
They used data from blood and urine samples from more than 10,000 people in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They investigated current exposure to phenols and PFAS in relation to previous diagnoses of women with cancer.
They also explored racial and ethnic disparities in these associations.
Exploring the link between these chemicals and women with cancer
The study showed that for women, higher exposure to PFDE, a long-chained PFAS compound, had double the odds of a previous melanoma diagnosis.
Women with higher exposure to two other long-chained PFAS compounds, PFNA and PFUA, had nearly double the odds of a prior melanoma diagnosis.
The study showed a link between PFNA and higher exposure to phenols in women with cancer.
“These findings highlight the need to consider PFAS and phenols as whole classes of environmental risk factors for women with cancer,” said Max Aung, PhD, senior author of the study who conducted the research while at the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment.
Tracey J Woodruff, PhD, MPH, UCSF professor and director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and director of the UCSF EaRTH Center, added: “As communities around the country grapple with PFAS contamination, this adds further evidence that supports policymakers developing action to reduce PFAS exposure.
“Since PFAS make up thousands of chemicals, one way to reduce exposures is for EPA to regulate them as a class of chemicals, rather than one at a time.”
