Researchers have found evidence that links exposure to the toxic chemical C8 to infertility in women, according to a scientific paper published Wednesday.
Researchers have found evidence that links exposure to the toxic chemical C8 to infertility in women, according to a scientific paper published Wednesday. Read the study
Women with higher levels of C8 and a related chemical in their blood took longer to become pregnant than women with lower levels, according to the study.
The study is believed to be the first to link infertility in women to C8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA.
Researchers concluded that the levels of C8 found in the general population's blood may reduce fertility, the study said.
It was published online Wednesday evening in Human Reproduction, Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal.
In West Virginia, DuPont has used C8 since the 1950s at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. C8 is a processing agent used to make Teflon and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant textiles.
Around the world, researchers are finding that people have C8 and other perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, in their blood at low levels. People can be exposed by drinking contaminated products, eating tainted foods, or through food packaging and stain-proof agents on furniture or carpet.
Evidence is mounting about these chemicals' dangerous effects, but regulators have yet to set a binding federal limit for emissions or human exposure.
Just days before leaving office, the Bush administration issued a health advisory for C8-contaminated water supplies. But that advisory does not address the potential dangers of drinking polluted water over a long period of time.
In the new study, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and Vanderbilt University examined the possible impacts of PFOA and a related chemical, PFOS, on more than 1,200 pregnant women.
Blood samples were taken at the time of their first doctor's visit, usually between 4 and 14 weeks into the pregnancy. Researchers also interviewed the women to find out whether the pregnancy was planned or not, and how long it took them to become pregnant.
Infertility was defined as it taking longer than 12 months or the use of fertility treatments to establish the current pregnancy. The results were adjusted for other factors, such as age, lifestyle and socio-economic status.
Women who took part in the study had PFOA levels in their blood that ranged from less than 1 part per billion to 41.5 parts per billion. The women had PFOS levels that ranged from 6.4 parts per billion to 106.7 parts per billion.
Researchers have found evidence that links exposure to the toxic chemical C8 to infertility in women, according to a scientific paper published Wednesday. Read the study
Women with higher levels of C8 and a related chemical in their blood took longer to become pregnant than women with lower levels, according to the study.
The study is believed to be the first to link infertility in women to C8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA.
Researchers concluded that the levels of C8 found in the general population's blood may reduce fertility, the study said.
It was published online Wednesday evening in Human Reproduction, Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal.
In West Virginia, DuPont has used C8 since the 1950s at its Washington Works plant south of Parkersburg. C8 is a processing agent used to make Teflon and other nonstick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain-resistant textiles.
Around the world, researchers are finding that people have C8 and other perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, in their blood at low levels. People can be exposed by drinking contaminated products, eating tainted foods, or through food packaging and stain-proof agents on furniture or carpet.
Evidence is mounting about these chemicals' dangerous effects, but regulators have yet to set a binding federal limit for emissions or human exposure.
Just days before leaving office, the Bush administration issued a health advisory for C8-contaminated water supplies. But that advisory does not address the potential dangers of drinking polluted water over a long period of time.
In the new study, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and Vanderbilt University examined the possible impacts of PFOA and a related chemical, PFOS, on more than 1,200 pregnant women.
Blood samples were taken at the time of their first doctor's visit, usually between 4 and 14 weeks into the pregnancy. Researchers also interviewed the women to find out whether the pregnancy was planned or not, and how long it took them to become pregnant.
Infertility was defined as it taking longer than 12 months or the use of fertility treatments to establish the current pregnancy. The results were adjusted for other factors, such as age, lifestyle and socio-economic status.
Women who took part in the study had PFOA levels in their blood that ranged from less than 1 part per billion to 41.5 parts per billion. The women had PFOS levels that ranged from 6.4 parts per billion to 106.7 parts per billion.
Studies have estimated the median level of C8 in the blood of the U.S. general population to be about 5 parts per billion.
In the new study, researchers divided the women's levels of PFCs into four ranges. For PFOA, the likelihood of infertility increased by 60 percent to 154 percent for women in the three higher ranges, compared to the lowest range. For PFOS, the likelihood of infertility increased by 70 percent to 134 percent.
"As far as we know, this is the first study to assess the associations between PFOA and PFOS levels in plasma with the time to pregnancy in humans," said Jorn Olsen, chair of UCLA's epidemiology department and principal investigator of the study. "We are waiting for further studies to replicate our findings in order to discover whether PFCs should be added to the list of risk factors for infertility."
Chunyuan Fei, another UCLA epidemiologist and lead author for the paper, said, "PFOS and PFOA were considered to be biologically inactive, but recently animal studies have shown that these chemicals may have a variety of toxic effects on the liver, immune system, and developmental and reproductive organs.
"Very few human studies have been done, but one of our earlier studies showed the PFOA, although not PFOS, may impair the growth of babies in the womb, and another two epidemiological studies linked PFOA and PFOS to impaired fetal growth," Fei said.
The researchers said men's sperm quality could also be affected by PFCs and might therefore contribute to the association between the chemicals and infertility. However, the researchers did not have PFC levels for the fathers. "Studies on sperm quality and PFOA/PFOS are certainly warranted," Olsen said.
The researchers also said they don't yet know how PFOS and PFOA might reduce fertility, but that the chemicals may interfere with hormones involved in reproduction.
Officials from DuPont and another longtime C8 maker, 3M Corp., said their companies are reviewing the study.
Jovana Ruzicic, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Working Group, said Wednesday evening, "We are alarmed, but not completely surprised at the findings, given the complete lack of health protections in federal law.
"These findings are the result of no law, and if we want to avoid them we need major reform, or we should expect more findings like this to emerge in the future."
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