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Dr Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
A new study alerts us to the dangers of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs. In addition to being studied and suspected in the appearance of numerous diseases, these pollutants would this time be implicated in infertility in certain women.
Cooking utensils, household products, makeup and even tap water have one unfortunate thing in common: all of these substances or objects, which may contain perfluoroalkyls, or PFAS, also called “eternal chemicals” could well make you sterile, according to a new study conducted jointly by the United States and Singapore. The information is unfortunately not new: for years, scientists have been warning of the dangers of these chemicals, linking them to cancer or infertility. The novelty lies in the fact that the impact on fertility would be greater than expected.
40% less chance of conceiving or having a viable baby
The American and Singaporean researchers thus analyzed blood samples taken from 1,032 women. All were trying for a baby and had an average age of 30, with samples taken between 2015 and 2017. Fifteen specific types of PFAS were screened for, then each woman was followed for at least a year to see if she had managed to conceive.
Researchers at the Mount-Sinai Health Organization in New York found that higher exposure to PFAS was linked to a reduced likelihood of having a baby. This was especially true for two individual types of PFAS and when their effects were combined. Scientists found that the potent blend of PFAS was linked to up to a 40% reduction in the chances of getting pregnant within a year, but sadder still, of achieving a viable birth.
The authors noted, however, that they could not prove that PFAS were behind the link because the assay was not designed to identify toxic chemicals. The specific mechanism by which PFAS might reduce fertility in female participants has also not been studied.
One more warning to public health policy
Publishing the results in the journal Science of The Total Environment, lead author Dr. Nathan Cohen, an expert in environmental medicine and public health at the Mount Sinai Health Organization in New York, sees this as a red flag. “The results of our study should serve as a warning to women around the world about the potentially harmful effects of PFAS when considering conception.”did he declare. “We can minimize exposure to PFAS by avoiding foods associated with higher levels of these chemicals and purchasing PFAS-free products.”
The other important learning from this study is that chemicals can harm the fertility of even healthy women. “PFAS can disrupt our reproductive hormones and have been linked to delayed onset of puberty or increased risks of endometriosis,” said Dr. Damaskini Valvi. “Our study adds that PFAS may also decrease fertility in women who are healthy and naturally trying to conceive.” According to her, it is essential that the authorities put in place policies prohibiting the use of PFAS in everyday products.
The PFAS, already implicated in several scandals
PFAS are a class of chemicals more accurately known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are found in a multitude of everyday items, such as non-stick kitchen utensils, water-repellent clothing, food packaging, carpets, paints, toiletries… Chemicals, designed to make surfaces stain and water resistant, do not break down naturally in the environment, hence their nickname “eternal chemicals”.
They have already been linked to an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer. Studies have also suggested that they damage the immune system and increase the risk of birth defects.
“We are bathed in a mixture of endocrine disruptors on a daily basis”
For Dr. Odile Bagot, gynecologist and author of Endocrine disruptors, war is declared! (2020 Ed Mango), the study is further proof of the harmful effects of PFAS, but it is difficult today to establish a concrete link with infertility: “You should know that you are never exposed to a single endocrine disruptor and that it is often difficult to make the link between the presence, the rate of endocrine disruptor in the blood and its impact which may also be the result a “cocktail” effect with other disruptors. This study was carried out because in an animal model, a decline in fertility had been observed in the event of exposure to a PFAS. We therefore wanted to look at the level of PFAS, and the time in which exposed women were able to conceive. So there is a correlation. But all that can be said is that it “suggests” that PFAS affect fertility. they are the only ones responsible, because we are bathed in a mixture of endocrine disruptors on a daily basis”.