Exposure to PFAS may affect bone health in adolescents & young adults

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances PFAS manufactured chemicals used in products such as food packaging and cosmetics can lower bone mineral density which can lead to osteoporosis and other bone diseases according to a studyA growing body of research has also linked the chemicals to reproductive problems increased cancer risk and other health issuesIn the study researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California USC examined two groups of young participants 304 adolescentsFor each doubling of baseline perfluorooctanesulfonic acid PFOS one type of PFAS participants had an average decrease in bone mineral density of 003 gcm2 per year at followupWhen baseline levels of PFOS doubled participants had an average of 032 gcm2 lower baseline bone mineral density though no significant change was observed over timeldquoMany existing studies havenrsquot included participants this young but wersquore now able to see that this association is already happening at a time when bones are supposed to be developingrdquo said lead author Emily Beglarian doctoral student in the Keck School of MedicineThe researchers said the findings published in the journal Environmental Research highlight the need for stricter regulation of PFAS which have contaminated public drinking water food and soilldquoPFAS are ubiquitous we are all exposed to themrdquo said Vaia Lida Chatzi Professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck SchoolldquoWe need to eliminate that exposure to allow our youth to reach their full potential in terms of bone development to help them avoid osteoporosis later in lifeldquoItrsquos important to regulate PFAS as a class because we are not just exposed to one chemical we are exposed to thousands of chemicalsrdquo Chatzi saidBone mineral density increases during adolescence peaks between the ages of 20 and 30 then slowly decreases throughout adulthood Peak bone mineral density helps predict whether a person will get osteoporosis later in life prompting the researchers to investigate how PFAS can affect young peopleldquoWe want to make sure wersquore not exposing ourselves to things that harm our bone development because it has implications over the rest of our livesrdquo Beglarian saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever