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A new study has found that synthetic perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) that accumulate in the blood are associated with harmful blood lipids associated with cardiovascular risk.
“There are clear signs that PFAS have negative health effects,” says Monique Bretterer, head of population health sciences at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and lead author of the new paper in the journal. exposure and health.
“We found that for the same PFAS concentration in the blood, the adverse effects were more pronounced in younger subjects than in older subjects.”
The results, based on data collected from more than 2,500 adults aged 30 to 89 in Leiderdorp, the Netherlands, and Bonn, Germany, show that even relatively low blood PFAS concentrations result in an unfavorable blood lipid profile. suggests that it is related to.
“Our data show that there is a statistically significant correlation between PFAS in the blood and harmful blood lipids associated with cardiovascular risk. It also has a higher concentration of lipids,” says Breteler.
“Strictly considered, this is not yet evidence that PFAS chemicals cause an unfavorable blood lipid profile. However, the close correlation supports this suspicion. We strongly advocate for stricter regulations on PFAS.”
PFAS have been widely used in industrial processes and consumer products since the 1950s due to their properties such as heat resistance, water repellency, oil resistance, and stain resistance.
PFAS contain strong carbon-fluorine bonds and are highly resistant to both chemical and biological degradation. As a result, PFAS do not easily break down and persist in the environment, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”
PFAS enter and accumulate in humans through food and drinking water, consumer products and packaging, and breathing air and dust.
Although our understanding of their public health effects remains relatively limited, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to certain levels of PFAS can be associated with reproductive and developmental effects, and some cancers. may cause increased risk of infection, decreased ability of the immune system to fight infections, and interference. Cholesterol levels rise due to hormones.
In this study, we analyzed blood samples using a mass spectrometer to identify the three most prevalent PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). ) and measured its concentration. 224 types of blood lipids, metabolites, and amino acids.
“This ‘untargeted approach’ – a deliberate broad approach without pre-targeting – allows us to demonstrate the relationship between PFAS concentrations and the problematic profile of fatty substances, so-called lipids. These include the well-known cholesterol and various other blood lipids that are known to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” said DZNE scientist and co-author of the paper. said lead author Elvire Landstra.
“Our study is the most detailed and has the largest database to date on this topic. Previous research had already suggested a correlation between PFAS and unhealthy blood lipids. But this link has never been as clear as it was in our study.”
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