Study finds significant chemical exposures in women with cancer

In an indication that publicity to sure endocrine-disrupting chemical substances could also be taking part in a job in cancers of the breast, ovary, pores and skin and uterus, researchers have discovered that individuals who developed these cancers have considerably greater ranges of those chemical substances of their our bodies.

Whereas it doesn’t show that publicity to chemical substances like PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) and phenols (together with BPA) led to those most cancers diagnoses, it’s a robust sign that they might be taking part in a job and ought to be studied additional.

The research confirmed that significantly for girls, greater publicity to PFDE, a long-chained PFAS compound, had double the percentages of a earlier melanoma prognosis; girls with greater publicity to 2 different long-chained PFAS compounds, PFNA and PFUA, had almost double the percentages of a previous melanoma prognosis.

The research appeared Sept. 17, 2023, within the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

The research confirmed a hyperlink between PFNA and a previous prognosis of uterine most cancers; and ladies with greater publicity to phenols, similar to BPA (utilized in plastics) and a couple of,5-dichlorophenol (a chemical utilized in dyes and located as a by-product in wastewater treatment), had greater odds of prior ovarian most cancers diagnoses.

The research was performed by researchers from UC San Francisco (UCSF), College of Southern California (USC) and College of Michigan, all of whom are a part of Environmental Well being Sciences Core Facilities.

They used information from blood and urine samples from greater than 10,000 individuals within the Nationwide Well being and Vitamin Examination Survey (NHANES). They investigated present publicity to phenols and PFAS in relation to earlier cancer diagnoses, and explored racial/ethnic disparities in these associations.

“These findings spotlight the necessity to take into account PFAS and phenols as entire courses of environmental danger elements for cancer risk in girls,” stated Max Aung, Ph.D., senior creator of the research who performed the analysis whereas on the UCSF Program on Reproductive Well being and the Setting and now an affiliate professor of environmental well being at USC Keck College of Drugs.

PFAS are ubiquitous within the atmosphere

PFAS have contaminated water, meals and folks by way of merchandise similar to Teflon pans, waterproof clothes, stain-resistant carpets and materials, and meals packaging. They’re also known as “endlessly chemical substances” as a result of they’re proof against breaking down and subsequently final for many years within the atmosphere. PFAS additionally stay in individuals’s techniques anyplace from a number of months to years.

“These PFAS chemical substances seem to disrupt hormone operate in girls, which is one potential mechanism that will increase odds of hormone-related cancers in girls,” stated Amber Cathey, Ph.D., lead creator of the research and a analysis school scientist on the College of Michigan, College of Public Well being.

The research additionally recognized racial variations. Associations between varied PFAS and ovarian and uterine cancers have been noticed solely amongst white womenwhereas associations between a PFAS referred to as MPAH and a phenol referred to as BPF and breast cancer have been noticed solely amongst non-white women.

Researchers say EPA ought to regulate PFAS as a category of chemical substances

“As communities across the nation grapple with PFAS contamination, this provides additional proof that helps policymakers growing motion to scale back PFAS publicity,” stated Tracey J. Woodruff, Ph.D., MPH, UCSF professor and director of the Program on Reproductive Well being and the Setting and director of the UCSF EaRTH Heart, which supported the research.

“Since PFAS make up hundreds of chemical substances, one option to cut back exposures is for EPA to manage PFAS as a category of chemical substances, slightly than one by one.”