Exposure to certain chemicals that affect the endocrine system, such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and phenols (including bisphenol A, or BPA), may increase the risk of developing cancerous tumors, as a new study has found significantly higher levels higher levels of these toxins in women with breast, ovarian, skin and uterine cancer.
The results have been published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology and, although they do not demonstrate that exposure to these substances leads to the diagnosis of any of these cancers, they do constitute a strong indication that they may be playing an important role in these diseases and Therefore, its potential implication should be analyzed in depth.
The study was carried out by researchers from UC San Francisco (UCSF), University of Southern California (USC) and University of Michigan who observed that, especially in the case of women, those with greater exposure to PFDE – a compound of long-chain PFAS – were twice as likely to have a previous diagnosis of melanoma. Additionally, women with the highest exposure to two other long-chain PFAS compounds, PFNA and PFUA, were almost twice as likely to have a prior melanoma diagnosis.
“These findings highlight the need to consider PFAS and phenols as entire classes of environmental risk factors for cancer risk in women.”
The researchers also found a link between PFNA and a previous diagnosis of uterine cancer; and women with higher exposure to phenols, such as BPA (used in plastics) and 2,5-dichlorophenol (a chemical used in dyes and found as a byproduct in wastewater treatment), were more likely to have previous ovarian cancer diagnoses.
PFAS persist for decades in the environment
To carry out the research, these scientists used data from blood and urine samples from more than 10,000 people who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), analyzed current exposure to phenols and PFAS in relation to diagnoses of previous cancer and studied racial/ethnic differences in these associations.
“These findings highlight the need to consider PFAS and phenols as entire classes of environmental risk factors for cancer risk in women,” said Max Aung, lead author of the study who conducted the research while in the Program. Reproductive Health and Environment at UCSF, and is now an associate professor of environmental health at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Due to the widespread use of products such as Teflon pans, waterproof clothing, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, and food packaging, PFAS have contaminated water, food, and humans. These substances are also known as “forever chemicals” because they are resistant to degradation and therefore last for decades in the environment. PFAS also remain in people’s bodies for several months to years.
“These PFAS chemicals appear to alter hormonal function in women, which is a potential mechanism that increases the likelihood of hormone-related cancers in women,” said Amber Cathey, lead author of the study and a research faculty scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
The study identified racial differences and showed that associations between several PFAS and ovarian and uterine cancers were observed only among white women, while associations between a PFAS called MPAH and a phenol called BPF and breast cancer were observed. observed only among non-white women.
Researchers say the EPA should regulate PFAS as a class of chemicals. “Given that PFAS make up thousands of chemicals, one way to reduce exposure is for the EPA to regulate PFAS as a class of chemicals, rather than one at a time,” said Tracey J. Woodruff, a professor at UCSF. and director of the Reproductive Health and Environment Program and director of the UCSF Earth Center, which supported the study.
