Cancer: “Eternal chemicals” in food packaging and kitchen utensils multiply the risks

Teflon stove, waterproof clothing, cleaning products and even shampoos… Caution should be exercised when purchasing these consumer products.

A 4.5 times higher risk

This is because they may contain perfluorooctane sulfate, often referred to as PFOS, and polyfluoroalkyl, referred to as PFAS, which experts call “eternal chemicals” because they break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment and human tissues, including including the liver.

And it’s not without consequences: a study published in JHEP Reports shows that these products increase the risk of nonviral hepatocellular carcinoma, a common liver cancer. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California thus reveal that those most exposed had a risk up to 4.5 times higher of being diagnosed with the disease compared to those who were most exposed. less.

Accumulation of fat in the liver

To conduct their work, the team of scientists were able to assess human blood and tissue samples collected from 50 participants who eventually developed liver cancer, taken before their diagnosis, before comparing them to 50 other people who did not. did not develop cancer in the same study.

It appears that these chemicals disrupt liver function by altering the normal process of glucose metabolism, bile acid metabolism, and the metabolism of a type of amino acid called a branched-chain amino acid in the liver.

This disruption can lead to a buildup of fat in the liver, a condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

However, in recent years, there has been a dramatic and unexplained increase in NAFLD around the world, which is worrying because people with NAFLD have a much higher risk of developing liver cancer. “Liver cancer is one of the most serious effects of liver disease and this is the first human study to show that PFAS are associated with this disease“, said Dr. Jesse Goodrich, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California.

Drastic measures

Some manufacturers have phased out the use of PFAS and PFOS, but because they are long-lived, PFOS is present in drinking water, many food products and in blood.

Drastic measures are being taken to deal with this risk: the Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States has published last June a notice reducing acceptable levels of chemicals in consumer items.

In Europe, the European Commission presented on April 25, 2022 his new action plan aiming to eliminate, by 2030, the chemicals most dangerous to health and the environment from consumer products, including PFAS.