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Toxic chemicals lurking in cookware, make-up and toiletries may be harming the heart, another study suggested today.

Scientists have for years warned about the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ — because they can linger in the environment for thousands of years — they have been linked to everything from cancer to infertility.

But the latest evidence by Dutch and German researchers suggests the impact of PFAS in the blood could be even greater than suspected. 

They found ‘clear’ proof that people with several types of PFAS in their blood had ‘higher levels of different cholesterols, fatty acids and the lipid content’. 

Scientists have for years warned about the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Dubbed 'forever chemicals' — because they can linger in the environment for thousands of years — they have been linked to everything from cancer to infertility. But the latest evidence by Dutch and German researchers suggests the impact of PFAS in the blood could be even greater than suspected

Scientists have for years warned about the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ — because they can linger in the environment for thousands of years — they have been linked to everything from cancer to infertility. But the latest evidence by Dutch and German researchers suggests the impact of PFAS in the blood could be even greater than suspected 

The findings do not prove the plastic particles cause adverse heart issues as the patients could have been exposed to other risk factors. Scientists said the results, however, should serve as a warning that 'there may be no safe levels below which exposure is without health hazard'. Pictured, PFAS foam gathers at the the Van Etten Creek dam in Oscoda Township, Michigan in 2018

The findings do not prove the plastic particles cause adverse heart issues as the patients could have been exposed to other risk factors. Scientists said the results, however, should serve as a warning that ‘there may be no safe levels below which exposure is without health hazard’. Pictured, PFAS foam gathers at the the Van Etten Creek dam in Oscoda Township, Michigan in 2018

Excess lipids or fats in the blood can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The findings do not prove the plastic particles cause adverse heart issues as the patients could have been exposed to other risk factors. 

Scientists said the results, however, should serve as a warning that ‘there may be no safe levels below which exposure is without health hazard’.

Professor Monique Breteler, study author and the director of population health sciences at German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) said: ‘We see clear signs of a harmful effect of PFAS on health. 

‘We have found that at the same PFAS concentration in the blood, the negative effects are more pronounced in younger subjects than in older ones.’

What ARE ‘forever chemicals’? 

‘Forever chemicals’ are a class of common industrial compounds that don’t break down when they’re released into the environment.

Humans are exposed to these chemicals after they’ve come in contact with food, soil or water reservoirs.

These chemicals — known more properly as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — are added to cookware, carpets, textiles and other items to make them more water- and stain-repellant.

PFAS contamination has been detected in water near manufacturing facilities, as well as at military bases and firefighting training facilities where flame-retardant foam is used.

The chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, and damage to the immune system, as well as birth defects, smaller birth weights, and decreased vaccine response in children.

‘Our data shows a statistically significant correlation between PFAS in the blood and harmful blood lipids linked to cardiovascular risk. 

However, she noted: ‘The higher the PFAS level, the higher the concentration of these lipids. Taken strictly, this is not yet proof that PFAS chemicals cause unfavorable blood lipid profiles.’

PFAS are a class of chemicals that are more properly known as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 

Famed for their durability and stain resistant properties, they have been used in a host of products from nonstick cookware, to clothes, packaging, cosmetics and even children’s toys. 

They enter the body when people drink water from PFAS-contaminated sources or eat foods produced near places where the chemical was used. 

Eating foods packaged in material containing the chemical or swallowing or breathing in contaminated soil or dust are other common ways.  

Studies have since linked the chemicals to a variety of cancers, blood disorders, fertility problems and birth defects.

While these links are not definitive and research is ongoing, part of the concern is because PFAS are so ubiquitous in modern life and persist so long in the environment they could infiltrate water supplies, further increasing exposure.

The Government’s Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) currently sets a limit of 0.1 micrograms per litre (μg/L) for PFAS in UK tap water, with the body running a specific programme testing for levels in British water supplies.

In their study, researchers at DZNE and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands analysed blood samples from over 2,500 Dutch men and women aged between 30 and 89. 

Using mass spectrometry — a technique using ionisation and fragmentation to determine information about individual chemical molecules — they measured blood concentration levels of three widespread types of PFAS.

These were PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS. They also determined the concentration of 224 blood lipids, metabolites, and amino acids.

Researchers adjusted for factors which could have skewed their findings, including smoking status, alcohol intake and activity levels. 

Writing in the journal, Exposure and Health, they found the ‘more recently developed’ PFHxS was ‘as detrimental for health’ as the older PFOA and PFOS.  

All three types of PFAS saw ‘statistically significant associations’ with higher lipid levels, cholesterol, fatty acids as well as albumin, a protein made by the liver. 

The associations were also almost always stronger in the younger compared to the older age group. 

‘We interpret our data to indicate that even low PFAS levels in the general population can have a detrimental effect on lipid metabolism,’ they added. 

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Post source: Daily mail

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