Most Wisconsin residents have "forever chemicals" in their bodies, says UW

MADISON, Wis. -- A large, population-based study done by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Wednesday shows most Wisconsin residents have "forever chemicals," known as PFAS, in their blood.

UW-Madison said per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are manufactured, indigestible chemicals that tend to "biomagnify" in the food chain, meaning they accumulate in organisms as they move up the chain. In the human body, PFAS bond to proteins in the liver, kidney, and blood cells, and are linked to health problems like cancer, changes in metabolism, lower birth weight, and changes in puberty.

To collect data, UW said researchers measured traces of PFAS in the blood samples of those who had volunteered for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin. Participants were asked about many potential exposures, and the study investigated correlations between PFAS levels and environment, eating habits, lifestyle, race, income level, and other demographic data.

UW said the study found the strongest link between higher PFAS levels and older age, male gender, non-Hispanic white race, higher income levels and eating caught fish. Those who ate microwaved popcorn had somewhat higher levels – because PFAS compounds were not banned from use in bag linings until February 2024 – while eating fast food seemed to have no effect.

Despite the results, UW said researchers cannot determine a cause-and-effect relationship based on the data alone. Just because the study found an association between eating caught fish and higher PFAS levels does not mean anglers should stop eating local fish. Additionally, even though the data showed no association between eating fast food and PFAS, past research shows fast food containers are a source of exposure.

Future studies will build off of this one to more thoroughly examine the trends seen here.

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.