UK launches first study of 'forever chemicals' in the population's bodies

The first national measurement

The UK government is launching the first study of levels of so-called 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) in the population's bodies, BBC News reports. The UKHSA agency will take blood and urine samples collected through the already existing Health Survey for England, in order to establish baseline body levels not only of PFAS but also of lead, arsenic, bisphenols, phthalates and flame retardants. The first results are expected next year.

What is known about the risks

PFAS have been used since the 1940s–1950s thanks to their resistance to water, oil and heat — they are found in thousands of products, from cookware to firefighting foam. Two substances in this group — PFOA and PFOS — are already banned in the UK because, according to the World Health Organization, long-term exposure increases the risk of cancer. According to the UKHSA, current data suggest that possible health effects are likely to be limited, but the most robust associations in large populations are with elevated cholesterol and reduced birth weight; for the banned substances, researchers also cite reduced antibody levels after childhood vaccinations and endocrine effects related to the thyroid gland. Professor Tony Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine noted that PFAS are present at low levels in everyone's blood, but serious consequences are associated with higher levels and larger population groups.

Why the study is needed

Edward Wynne-Evans, the UKHSA director for radiation, chemical, climate and environmental hazards, said in an interview with the Inside Health programme on BBC Radio 4 that science still has gaps in understanding 'what different levels of exposure mean for an individual person's long-term health'. The study is intended to 'build an evidence base to better understand what is going on'. The question is practical: in September, blood tests revealed 'very high levels' of PFOA in dozens of peopleliving near a large chemical plant, and residents of contaminated areas are increasingly taking individual tests. However, the government does not recommend routine blood testing for PFAS, because at elevated levels there is no 'established clinical intervention': 'If you do a test for which no follow-up action can be recommended, we generally do not recommend such a test,' Wynne-Evans explained. Fletcher added, addressing residents of contaminated areas, that at the individual level the probability of illness is low, and the main thing is to stop the ongoing exposure. The study of PFAS remains a young field: more than 15,000 types of these substances are subject to investigation.

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