Perfluorooctanoic acid, better known as PFOA, is one of the more "indefinitely persistent" toxic chemicals around. It's found at very low levels, not only in our environment, but in the blood streams of virtually all Americans and countless animals (even our pets).
While the EPA still avoids explaining just how people could be exposed to PFOA to such a ridiculous degree, traces of this chemical have been found in microwave popcorn bags, house dust, water, carpets and very popularly, non-stick cookware. Even worse, previous reports have linked PFOA exposure to such dire problems as female infertility and lower birth weights and head sizes in newborns.
This latest study, reviewing health statistics on some 4,000 Americans, found patients with the highest concentrations of PFOA and other compounds in their bodies (the top 25 percent) were more twice as prone to have thyroid disease. Although the presence of PFOA and other chemicals may simply be a marker for an unknown factor linked to thyroid disease, scientists believe these compounds may disrupt the binding of thyroid hormones in the blood or alter how they are metabolized in the liver.
Although thyroid problems are experienced more often by women, researchers also uncovered a connection between higher concentrations of another chemical -- perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) -- and thyroid disease among men.
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Environmental Health Perspectives January 20, 2010
ScienceDaily January 21, 2010
Science News January 22, 2010