Published Nov 23, 2024

Finally Something To Ease Anxiety; Drinking Water With ‘Forever Chemicals’ Not Directly Tied To Breast Cancer Risk, Finds Major New Study

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PFAS & Cancer Risk

A new Swedish cohort study, published in Environment International this month, has found that women drinking water with heightened levels of synthetic chemical, known as (PFAS), are not at a higher risk for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are “widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time” that “are found in water, air, fish, and soil at locations across the nation and the globe.”
Research published last year, looked into the possible connections between hormone-related cancers and the three types of potential endocrine disruptors, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phenols and parabens.
The National Cancer Institute states that a whopping 93% of all human cancers are non-hereditary, meaning they are caused by “interaction with environmental factors.” The lifestyle factors are listed to include “cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity.”
To be clear, more data is needed to provide direct and incontrovertible, causal, links between environmental chemicals and cancer. Responsible cancer doctors are always very quick to point out the need for studies to be independently reviewed by others in the field and be reproducible and confirmable in order to determine a casual link.

Major new research has cast doubt on whether drinking water with PFAS toxins can raise the risk for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

The chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.”

A Swedish cohort study, published in Environment International this month, concluded that women drinking water with heightened levels of synthetic chemical, known as (PFAS), are not at a higher risk for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer.

To be clear, more data is needed to provide direct causal, links between environmental chemicals and cancer. Responsible cancer doctors are always very quick to point out the need for studies to be independently reviewed by others in the field and be reproducible and confirmable.

The study authors state in their results, “Out of all the 29,105 women included in the full Ronneby Register Cohort, 27 percent (7,823 women) were estimated to have ever been exposed to PFAS through contaminated drinking water at their residential address at some point between 1985 and 2013.

“Our study period was 2006–2016 during which 24,509 women remained to be included, and 313 breast cancer cases ≤85 years occurred. Out of these, 224 cases (72 percent) received adjuvant endocrine therapy, of which 40% were antiestrogens and 60 percent aromatase inhibitors.”

The study’s lead author Sofia Hammarstrand of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and her fellow researchers, concluded, “Our findings showed no significant summary associations between PFOA exposure and breast cancer with different hormone receptor status.”

Earlier Studies Offer More Insight

Last year, research from respected doctors looked into the possible connection (an associative link) between hormone-related cancers and the three types of potential endocrine disruptors.

According a published study in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, women with prior cancer diagnoses of ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, or melanoma were found to have had significantly higher levels of “forever chemicals,” in addition to other toxic compounds in their blood.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Michigan conducted the study to help the future of research and regulations connected to environmental health.

With funding by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the researchers were able to conduct a study among approximately 10,000 adults between 2005 and 2018, all who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Keck School of Medicine explains.

The researchers explained in their study’s impact statement that the “biomarkers across all exposure categories (phenols, parabens, and per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances) were cross-sectionally associated with increased odds of previous melanoma diagnoses in women, and increased odds of previous ovarian cancer was associated with several phenols and parabens.”

Research scientist and first author of the study, Amber Cathey, PhD, MPH, stated, “These PFAS and phenol chemicals appear to disrupt hormone function in women, which is one potential mechanism that increases the odds of hormone-related cancers in women.”

Back in 2017, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) “classified perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the most well-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), as a possible human carcinogen based in part on limited epidemiologic evidence of associations with cancers of the kidney and testis in heavily exposed subjects,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

Meanwhile, the CDC’s tracking network has obtained data for eighteen types of cancer that are “potentially linked with suspected environmental risk factors.”

And the National Cancer Institute states that a whopping 93% of all human cancers are non-hereditary, meaning they are caused by “interaction with environmental factors.” The lifestyle factors include “cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity.”

What Are PFAS?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are “widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time” that “are found in water, air, fish, and soil at locations across the nation and the globe.”

Given their widespread use and persistence in the environment, there are many PFAS in the blood of people and animals everywhere. This also means that they are present at low levels in a variety of food products as well as in the environment.

With thousands of PFAS chemicals and their prevalence in a variety of different places, the EPA acknowledges that there is still a lot more to learn. And that includes learning about their impact on human health and environmental risks.

Are the Toxins in Our Environment Making Us Sick?

As far as the PFAS connection to cancer, the EPA says current peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAs may lead to an “increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.”

It’s important to know, however, that our experts say we are exposed to carcinogens substances that can cause cancer every day. Even still, many people will never develop the disease.

“We create carcinogens all the time in our foods when we cook them, and very few of us get cancer because our bodies can handle them,” Dr. Robert Wright, chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at Mount Sinai, previously told SurvivorNet.

“But some people have susceptibilities to these environmental carcinogens, which might be genetic or might be caused by combinations of carcinogens.”

Dr. Wright also said no one trigger is usually going to cause cancer, but cancer could be the result of a combination of environmental triggers.

“Cancer isn’t caused by one event, typically, it’s usually a series or combination of events,” he explained. “So, it may be that you ate a lot of charred food, it may be that you’re also a smoker, it may be that you’ve inherited a genetic susceptibility to be a little bit more sensitive to those chemicals.”

Understanding The Different Types of Breast Cancer

Certain tumors are driven by hormones, or feature proteins that can help determine the best route of treatment.

A hormone-receptor positive breast cancer is one that needs either estrogen and/or progesterone to grow.
A HER2-postive breast cancer is one where high levels of the HER2 protein can be found on the outside of the cancer cells.
A triple negative breast cancer is difficult to treat because it does not have any of the main drivers of breast cancerthe estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2 receptor. This means hormone therapy won’t work. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for this cancer.

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer

When to Screen for Breast Cancer

The medical community has a broad consensus that women have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.

WATCH: SurvivorNet expert, oncologist Dr. Ann Partridge discusses the challenges of diagnosing and treating treating aggressive breast cancers in young women.

For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, have dense breasts, have a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before age 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.

WATCH: Understanding the BRCA gene mutation.

Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.

Breast density is determined through mammograms. However, women with dense breasts are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer because dense breast tissue can mask potential cancer during screening. 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and molecular breast imaging are options for women with dense breasts for a more precise screening. It is important to ask your doctor about your breast density and cancer risk.