‘Forever chemicals’ found in tap water, food wrappers and shampoo may explain an explosion of disease in young people, a study warns.
The new research shows that these toxic substances damage the microbiome, the delicate protective balance of bacteria in the gut.
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, the researchers tested how healthy participants’ kidneys were years later They found the forever chemicals may have been responsible for up to 50 percent decrease in kidney function over a four year period.
PFAS – which are dubbed forever chemicals because they don’t 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 has been growing.
It comes as researchers elsewhere look to the gut as one of the potential causes behind the uptick in colon cancer in young people, with the number of people under 55 being diagnosed with the cancer nearly doubling over the past 25 years.
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Meanwhile, a 2024 study showed more than 70million Americans may live in homes with PFAS-contaminated drinking water.
This year, the EPA created a law in that requires public drinking water systems to start testing and limiting their water for PFAS by 2025.
Aside from water, the CDC says someone can be exposed to forever chemicals by eating food manufactured near PFAS factories, eating fish caught in PFAS contaminated water or breathing in contaminated soil or dust.
Long-term exposure to PFAS may lead to an increased risk of prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, developmental delays in children, decreased fertility in women and disruption to the body’s hormone balance, according to the EPA.
Kidney damage has been one of the most widely accepted side affects of PFAS exposure, and scientists like Professor Jesse Goodrich
Professor Goodrich, whose research was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, are trying to explain why.
Professor Goodrich, from the University of Southern California, told The Guardian: ‘Along with these metabolic diseases comes a higher risk of diabetic or chronic kidney diseases, and this is one of the fastest-growing causes of mortality in the US, so it’s a really important question.’
His study included 78 people with an average age of 20 who lived near USC who didn’t have conditions that would already interfere with their gut, like obesity, diabetes or infections.
They took stool and blood samples in 2014, to check their baseline gut health and PFAS levels. They gave each person a PFAS burden score, a number developed to estimate exposure to chemical mixtures.
Then, in 2018, they took samples again to measure their kidney function. The people with higher levels of PFAS in their blood had lower levels of a bacteria called Lachnospiraceae, which has been shown by previous studies to reduce inflammation and prevent kidney disease, the study authors wrote.
They found the people who had higher PFAS concentration tended to have lower kidney function in the years following. For each increase of their PFAS burden score, their kidney function decreased by about 2.4 percent.
The cities depicted on the map are just a handful of many that have been identified as having higher concentrations of PFAS in the public water supply and private wells
PFAS in drinking water can come from waste runoff from the production of water, stain and grease resistant items. The EPA moved to force public utilities to begin treating water for these chemicals by 2025
Decreased kidney function can lead to chronic kidney disease, a condition where your kidneys slowly stop removing waste from your blood, causing a dangerous build up of toxic fluid that can cause major organ systems to shut down, according to Mayo Clinic.
Professor Goodrich said experts don’t yet know for sure how PFAS causes kidney damage, but it appears it could have to do with the disruption to the gut’s function.
It is already known that the bacteria of the gut produce chemicals that can tax or support the kidneys, and that they seem to play a role in regulating the inflammation of the organs.
Prof Goodrich cautioned that their study had limitations – since it was performed in such a small sample size, it’s difficult to know if their findings will apply to the broader population.
But this isn’t the only study investigating PFAS’ impact 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 University, which could have implications throughout the body.
A 2023 study from Yale School of Public Health found two PFAS chemicals caused colon cancer cells to grow and spread more rapidly. This can make for a more deadly cancer, and suggests exposure to these chemicals may cause colon cancer to develop.
Studies performed in fire fighters, who are exposed to burning PFAS chemicals in fire-fighting foam, have shown they’re at increased risk for colorectal cancer, Jie Zheng, a Yale epidemiologist said.
It’s also been suggested that as much as 80 percent of all colorectal cancer cases are related to some sort of external factor, like chemical exposure.
