New Study Links “Forever Chemical” PFOS with Colorectal Cancer
ACN Report
Over a lifetime, we are repeatedly exposed to environmental pollutants known as “forever chemicals” — and a new study links such exposure to colorectal (colon) cancer.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky looked at long-term exposure to PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) in mice and confirmed their findings in human cells. Results showed that exposure — commonly in food and water — can chip away at an enzyme (HMGCS2) in the intestines that can help protect against cancer.
Research has established that PFOS can increase risk of other types of cancer, including breast and liver, but this is the first to study the effects of the chemicals on this enzyme.
One of the researchers, Yekaterina Zaytseva, said it’s “not so easy” to mitigate these pollutants in the environment. So, she turned her attention to its effects on the human body, and how to intercept them.
“We try to understand how these pollutants affect human health and … how we can mitigate the effect of these pollutants,” Zaytseva said.
Scientists wanted to learn, she said, “if people live in (an) area with high exposure to these chemicals, how we can help to prevent the harmful effects of these chemicals, or if they (are) already exposed, how we can…get rid of these pollutants in their body.”
PFOS falls under the umbrella of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are manmade and don’t break down in the environment easily because they have a molecular bond — carbon and fluorine — that’s among the strongest. Thus they have earned the nickname “forever chemicals.”
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains that PFAS “are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective.”
PFOS are among the five “forever chemicals” included in a drinking-water regulation issued by the Biden administration in April. Utilities will be required to reduce PFAS in drinking water to the lowest level that can be reliably measured.
Damage over time
People who have colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease tend to not have the HMGCS2 enzyme, Zaytseva said, “suggesting that it’s …protective against cancer.” During exposure to PFOS, she said, “this enzyme is also lost.” But this breakdown happens over time, and a person wouldn’t necessarily notice it happening based on side effects in the body.
The study, led by Josiane Tessmann, a post-doctoral scholar working in Zaytseva’s lab, was published in the journal Chemosphere.
How to protect yourself
Future research will look at specific diets that can help. For now, Zaytseva said, high fiber diets appear to “partially mitigate the harmful effect of these pollutants on liver and also microbiota.” It cannot, however, fully stop the loss of the enzyme.
There are also several water filters that can help reduce PFAS in drinking water, as well as using non-PFAS cooking pans.
“You need to be aware of this. But there’s no need to panic,” Zaytseva said. “Just look carefully (at) what you buy and what you consume.”
See the full article here. Reprinted with permission.
