You probably know that PFAS are in your cookware, your takeout packaging, maybe your drinking water. Most people shrug, because it feels like there is nothing you can do. A new analysis points to one specific cancer where constant exposure may matter most.
Women with the highest blood levels of two common PFAS had a markedly higher rate of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and led by researchers at the US National Institutes of Health.
When the top quarter of exposure was compared with the bottom, PFOA was linked to a 67 percent higher rate of this subtype. For PFOS, the rate was 93 percent higher. The researchers did not find a clear link between the two chemicals and breast cancer risk overall.
What the NIH analysis found
The study drew on blood samples from women in the Sister Study. That project enrolled more than 50,000 women aged 35 to 74 in the US and Puerto Rico between 2003 and 2009, and blood was collected years before any cancer was diagnosed.
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Researchers measured 17 PFAS in blood from 1,609 women who later developed breast cancer and 2,269 women who did not. Two older ones stood out. One was perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA. The other was perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, known as PFOS.
Alexandra White, Ph.D., led the study. She described ER-negative breast cancer as "a more aggressive tumor type with few known risk factors."
ER-negative tumors do not have receptors that respond to estrogen. Drugs that block or lower estrogen, which work on the more common hormone-driven cancers, do not help against this subtype. Prognosis tends to be worse.
Where PFAS hide in everyday life
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals used to make products slick, stain-resistant and waterproof. They barely break down. That is why they are often called forever chemicals.
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According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS turn up in grease-resistant food packaging, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes and non-stick cookware. They also show up in stain-repellent carpets, paints, public water systems and private wells.
The two chemicals flagged in the analysis, PFOA and PFOS, were phased out of US manufacturing years ago. They are so persistent that they are still found in the blood of most Americans.
Welltica has previously reported on how forever chemicals have spread through everyday products.
What the study can and cannot tell you
This was an observational case-control analysis. It can show that women with more PFOA and PFOS in their blood went on to develop ER-negative breast cancer more often. It cannot prove that the chemicals caused those tumors.
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The researchers also stressed that the numbers describe differences between groups, not a personal risk for any one woman. Newer PFAS that replaced PFOA and PFOS were not the focus, and the team said more work is needed on those replacements.
Steps that can lower your exposure
You cannot flush PFAS out of your body on demand, but you can slow what is coming in. A certified water filter rated to reduce PFOA and PFOS is one direct step for households with affected water.
Scratched non-stick cookware is another common source, so switching to stainless steel or cast iron removes that route. Grease-resistant food packaging also tends to use PFAS-based coatings, so cooking more meals at home with fewer takeout wrappers can help.
Women with new breast changes or a strong family history of the disease should raise them with their doctor to discuss their screening options.
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This article is made and published by Mie Hermansen, who may have used AI in the preparation.