Drinking water and most feminine hygiene products contain high levels of PFAS chemicals.
A recent University of Cincinnati (UC) study reveals a concerning link between exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and delayed puberty in girls.
PFAS are common environmental pollutants dubbed “forever chemicals.” These harmful chemicals are used to make different environmental and consumer products like firefighting foams and nonstick products. PFAS has long been a cause for concern due to its widespread presence in soil, water, food, and even human blood.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, involves 823 girls aged six to eight years old, with 379 of them coming from the Greater Cincinnati area in Ohio and 444 from the San Francisco Bay area in California.
The study tracks the relationship between PFAS exposure, hormones and puberty onset, particularly the first signs of breast development and pubic hair. Researchers monitored pubertal development, including signs such as breast development and the emergence of pubic hair, while testing their blood for PFAS levels for several years.
Alarmingly, researcher Susan Pinney, from UC’s Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, found that 85 percent of girls had measurable levels of PFAS in their systems, while 99 percent had PFOA, a PFAS compound. This suggests that PFAS exposure contributes to decreased hormone levels, which results in delayed puberty onset. (Related: Forever chemicals: Study shows exposure to PFAS linked to post-diet weight gain.)
“The study found that in girls with PFAS exposure, puberty is delayed five or six months on average but there will be some girls where it’s delayed a lot more and others that it wasn’t delayed at all. We are especially concerned about the girls at the top end of the spectrum where it’s delayed more,” Pinney said.
Moreover, Pinney warned the public about the long-term implications associated with delayed puberty, including a heightened risk of breast cancer, renal disease and thyroid disease.
“Puberty is a window of susceptibility. Environmental exposures during puberty, not just to PFAS, but anything, have more of a potential for long-term health effects. What these have done is extend the window of susceptibility, and it makes them more vulnerable for a longer period of time,” she said.
Drinking water and most feminine hygiene products contain high levels of PFAS chemicals
Pinney warned that local factors contribute to PFAS exposure in Greater Cincinnati.
For instance, a DuPont plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia, has been releasing PFAS into the Ohio River, the primary source of drinking water in the area, for decades. These PFAS flow downstream to major water intakes on both sides of the river near eastern Hamilton County. Pinney also claims that a firefighter training area near those same water intakes also contributes to PFAS exposure, as they have found PFAS in firefighting foam.
Aside from PFAS in drinking water in the local area, non-toxic family products company Mamavation, in partnership with Environmental Health News, found in a separate investigation in 2022 that PFAS are also present in various tampon brands, including some labeled as organic. The report, released after testing 23 different tampon products in an Environmental Protection Agency-certified lab confirms the contamination of five popular tampon brands with detectable levels of fluorine, indicative of PFAS contamination.
The brands in question are Maxim Hygiene Organic Cotton Cardboard Applicator Tampons, OrganYc Complete Protection Tampons, Playtex SPORT Regular & Super Tampons, Tampax Cardboard Applicator Unscented Tampos and Up & Up Regular Tampons. They contained PFAS levels ranging from 19 to 28 parts per million.
Watch the following video about forever chemicals detected in water systems of nearly 2,800 U.S. cities.
