‘Forever chemicals’ found in tap water, food packaging and shampoo could explain an explosion of illness in young people, a study warns.
The new research shows that these toxins damage the microbiome, the delicate protective balance of bacteria in the intestines.
People with higher levels of these chemicals, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), had lower levels of gut bacteria that prevent inflammation, which has been linked to diseases such as colon cancer.
In addition to examining the microbiome, years later the researchers tested how healthy the participants’ kidneys were. They found that the forever chemicals may have been responsible for a decline in kidney function of as much as 50 percent over a four-year period.
PFAS – forever referred to as chemicals because they do not break down in our bodies or environment – have been used in manufacturing since the 1940s to make products stain, grease and water resistant.
But research linking the chemicals to immune system problems, pregnancy complications and kidney and testicular cancer is increasing.
It comes as researchers elsewhere see the bowels as one of the possible causes of the rise in bowel cancer in young people, with the number of people under 55 being diagnosed with cancer almost doubling in the past 25 years.
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Meanwhile, a 2024 study found that more than 70 million Americans live in homes with PFAS-contaminated drinking water.
This year, the EPA passed a law requiring public drinking water systems to begin testing and restricting their water for PFAS by 2025.
Apart from water, says the CDC someone can be exposed to chemicals forever by eating food produced near PFAS factories, eating fish caught in PFAS-contaminated water, or breathing contaminated soil or dust.
According to the EPA, long-term exposure to PFAS can lead to an increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, developmental delays in children, reduced fertility in women and disruption of the body’s hormone balance.
Kidney damage is one of the most widely accepted side effects of PFAS exposure, and scientists such as Professor Jesse Goodrich
Professor Goodrich, whose research was published in the journal Science of the total environmenttry to explain why.
Professor Goodrich, from the University of Southern California, told The Guardian: “Along with these metabolic diseases comes a higher risk of diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and this is one of the fastest growing causes of death in the US, so it’s a very important question.”
His study included 78 people with an average age of 20 who lived near USC and had no conditions that would already disrupt their gut, such as obesity, diabetes or infections.
In 2014, they took stool and blood samples to check their gut health and PFAS levels. They gave each person a PFAS burden score, a number developed to estimate exposure to chemical mixtures.
They then took samples again in 2018 to measure their kidney function. The people with higher levels of PFAS in their blood had lower levels of a bacteria called Lachnospiraceae, which previous studies have found to reduce inflammation and prevent kidney disease, the study authors wrote.
They found that the people with higher PFAS levels tended to have lower kidney function in subsequent years. For every increase in their PFAS burden score, their kidney function decreased by about 2.4 percent.
The cities depicted on the map are just a handful of the many cities that have been found to have higher concentrations of PFAS in public water supplies and private wells.
PFAS in drinking water can come from waste released during the production of water-, stain- and grease-resistant products. The EPA has taken steps to force public utilities to begin treating water for these chemicals by 2025
Decreased kidney function can lead to chronic kidney disease, a condition in which your kidneys slowly stop removing waste products from your blood, causing a dangerous buildup of toxic fluids that can shut down major organ systems. according to Mayo Clinic.
Professor Goodrich said experts are not yet sure how PFAS causes kidney damage, but it appears it may be related to the disruption of intestinal function.
It is already known that the bacteria in the intestines produce chemicals that can burden or support the kidneys, and that they appear to play a role in regulating inflammation of the organs.
Professor Goodrich warned that their research had limitations – because it was conducted in such a small sample size, it is difficult to know whether their findings will apply to the wider population.
But this isn’t the only study examining the impact of PFAS on bodily functions.
The chemicals have also been shown to blunt the immune system, making it harder for your body to fight back against infections, according to research from Northeastern Universitywhich can affect the entire body.
A 2023 study from the Yale School of Public Health found that two PFAS chemicals caused colon cancer cells to grow and spread faster. This can lead to a deadlier form of cancer, suggesting that exposure to these chemicals may cause colon cancer.
Studies conducted on firefighters exposed to burning PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam have shown that they are at increased risk for colorectal cancer. Jie Zheng, a Yale epidemiologist, said.
It has also been suggested that as many as 80 percent of all cases of colorectal cancer are linked to some external factor, such as exposure to chemicals.