Exposure to “eternal chemicals” costs Americans billions: research

Daily exposure to cancer-related “eternal chemicals” is expected to cost Americans billions of dollars over the life of the current population, a new study found.

Increased associated health care costs and reduced worker productivity could generate economic losses of $ 5.52 billion to $ 62.6 billion, according to a study published in the journal Exposure and Health on Tuesday.

Eternal chemicals, also known as perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are associated with a variety of diseases, including thyroid disease, testicular cancer, and kidney cancer.

“Our findings add substantial yet piled up evidence that exposure to PFAS harms our health and harms our economy,” said study co-author NYU Langone Health, Pediatrics. And Linda Kahn, an assistant professor of artificial health, said. Said in a statement..

Known for their tendency to remain in the human body and the environment, chemicals are most famous for being found in industrial emissions and fire extinguishing agents. There are thousands of PFAS, many of which are also important ingredients in common household items.

To conclude, Khan and her colleagues first determined the approximate number of Americans likely to have been exposed to two chemicals (PFOA and PFOS) in 2018. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program that assesses the nutritional status of American children and adults.

Next, the researchers analyzed data from dozens of previous studies investigating the relationship between specific diseases and exposure to PFAS. From there, they focused on five states: low birth weight, childhood obesity, kidney and testicular cancer and hypothyroidism.

Scientists have already saidPossible linksBetween high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension diagnosed with PFAS — the result of a 2012 settlement in West Virginia.

However, over the last decade, researchers have conducted a number of studies investigating possible associations with other illnesses, including three other conditions nominated by researchers at New York University.

After the authors narrowed their search to these five impacts, they used models from previous studies to quantify the national economic costs of medical costs and the loss of worker productivity associated with these conditions. I said that it became.

Their study found that childhood obesity was the number one cause of the overall financial cost of PFAS exposure, costing approximately $ 2.65 billion.

Studies show that hypothyroidism in women, where the thyroid gland is unable to release enough hormones into the bloodstream, costs about $ 1.26 billion.

Expanding the range to include eight other conditions that are preliminarily related to PFAS exposure, such as endometriosis, obesity in adults, and pneumonia in children, researchers found the financial burden to $ 62.6 billion. Estimated to reach.

“Our results strongly support the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision to reduce safe tolerance levels for these substances in water,” said Senior Professor of Environmental Health for Children at NYU Langone Health. Author Leonardo Trasande said in a statement.

Trasande Recent decisions From authorities to strengthen health advisory levels (non-enforceable guidelines, not standards) for safe concentrations of PFAS in drinking water.

“Based on our estimates, the cost of eradicating pollution and replacing this class of chemicals with safer alternatives takes into account the tremendous economic and medical risks of keeping them in the environment. , Finally justified, “he added.