- Researchers report that people exposed to chemical compounds known as PFAS had a 56% increased risk of thyroid cancer.
- The endocrine-disrupting PFAS chemicals are used in a variety of consumer projects.
- Experts say exposure to environmental PFAS chemicals is common and difficult to avoid.
Nearly everyone in the United States is exposed to synthetic chemicals known as PFAS.
Now, a new
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are found in a wide range of consumer products, including nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, and other products that resist grease, water, and oil.
In use since the 1940s, PFAS are so-called “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down and are widely found in soil, water, and air.
In their study, researchers compared 88 people with thyroid cancer to an 88-member control group of people who were cancer-free.
The researchers reported that exposure to a certain type of PFAS, called perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (n-PFOS), raised the risk of thyroid cancer by 56%.
An analysis of a subgroup of 31 people with thyroid cancer found an association between the disease and several other PFAS chemicals, including branched perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorooctylphosphonic acid, and linear perfluorohexanesulfonic acid.
Researchers looked at exposure to a total of eight PFAS chemicals among the participants in the study.
“With the substantial increase of thyroid cancer worldwide over recent decades, we wanted to dive into the potential environmental factors that could be the cause for this rise,” said Dr. Maaike van Gerwen, a study co-corresponding author and an assistant professor and director of research in the department of…
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