Read the full article by Sharon Udasin (The Hill)
“Scientists in a new study have identified a link between ‘forever chemical’ exposure and the development of the most common type of liver cancer.
One specific type of forever chemical, called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), may have a particularly strong connection to the manifestation of this deadly disease, according to the study.
PFOS is one of thousands of humanmade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and is found widely throughout the environment.
Notorious for their presence in jet fuel firefighting foam and industrial discharge, PFAS are a set of toxic chemicals found in a variety of household products, including nonstick pans, waterproof apparel and cosmetics.
While prior research in animals have suggested that PFAS exposure increases the risk of liver cancer, Monday’s study — published in JHEP Reports — is the first to confirm a connection in human samples.
‘Liver cancer is one of the most serious endpoints in liver disease and this is the first study in humans to show that PFAS are associated with this disease,’ lead author Jesse Goodrich, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Keck School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Scientists first demonstrated a “probable link” between PFAS and six conditions — diagnosed high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension — in 2012, as part of a settlement in West Virginia.
But in the past decade, researchers around the world have conducted a plethora of studies identifying both potential and more definitive links between PFAS and other illnesses.” …