Posted on 10/26/2023 8:42:34 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Researchers have discovered a link between certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and an increased risk for thyroid cancer, according to a study.
PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that can migrate into the soil, water, and air. Forever chemicals have been used in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, and other products that resist grease, water, and oil.
The researchers investigated associations between plasma PFAS levels and thyroid cancer diagnosis using BioMe, a medical record-linked biobank at Icahn Mount Sinai. They studied 88 thyroid cancer patients with plasma samples collected either at or before cancer diagnosis and 88 non-cancer controls—people who did not develop any form of cancer—who matched on sex, race/ethnicity, age (within five years), body mass index, smoking status, and the year of sample collection.
The researchers measured levels of eight PFAS in blood samples from the BioMe participants using untargeted metabolomics. The levels of individual PFAS were compared between the group of participants who developed thyroid cancer and the group of healthy participants, using different statistical models to estimate accuracy.
The results showed that exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (n-PFOS, a group of chemicals under the PFAS umbrella) led to a 56% increased risk of thyroid cancer diagnosis. Additionally, the researchers conducted the analysis again in a subgroup of 31 patients who had at least a year between their enrollment in BioMe and their diagnosis of thyroid cancer, to take into consideration the time lag between exposure to PFAS chemicals and developing a disease.
From this second analysis, there was also a positive association between the exposure of n-PFOS and the risk of thyroid cancer, as well as a positive association with a few additional PFAS chemicals, including branched perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorooctylphosphonic acid, and linear perfluorohexanesulfonic acid.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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