According to a study, synthetic chemicals, often known as ‘forever chemicals,’ which are frequently found in food packaging and some kitchen utensils, can more than four times increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.
Perfluooctane sulphate (PFAS) is a class of synthetic chemicals found in a variety of consumer and commercial goods, including nonstick cookware, tap water, seafood, waterproof clothes, cleaning supplies, and even shampoo.
Because they degrade slowly and build up in the environment and in human tissue, including the liver, they are known as ‘forever chemicals.’
A person’s risk of developing non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma, a common liver cancer, can be raised by these ‘forever chemicals,’ according to study from the University of Southern California (USC), in Los Angeles.
They discovered that compared to individuals with the least exposure, those with the highest documented exposure to these poisons had a 4.5-fold higher risk of developing the illness.
The study released on Monday in JHEP Reports is the first to conclusively show that PFAS are present in human samples, despite earlier animal research suggesting they raise the risk of liver cancer.
The study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, Jesse Goodrich, PhD, said in a statement that it ‘builds on the current research, but takes it one step further.’
‘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,’ he added.
The Multiethnic Cohort Study, a project that collects enormous amounts of medical data from people in Hawaii and the Los Angeles region and is akin to the UK Biobank, served as the foundation for the research conducted by the USC team.
Before receiving a diagnosis of cancer, the scientists examined blood samples from the patients and compared them to a control group of people who never had the condition.
They discovered that, like many other dangerous substances the body eventually absorbs, these artificially created toxic compounds enter the liver after being consumed in some way.
The liver’s functions are then dramatically changed as a result of their becoming lodged there.
The USC team found that PFOS altered glucose metabolism, bile acid metabolism and amino acids in the liver. As a result, more fat formed around the liver and increased the risk of a person developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, reports Daily Mail.
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