Women Exposed To High Levels of PFCs (Household-Product Chemicals) May Go Through Menopause Younger

Earlier Menopause and Lower Estrogen in Women May Be Linked To PFCs

PFCs or perfluorocarbons are chemicals widely used in non stick pans, plastic food containers, clothing and furniture. Now, a study conducted on 26,000 women in West Virginia living near a DuPont plant has found that women above the age of 42, with a high level of PFC, were more likely to have undergone menopause and had a lower level of estrogen as compared to women who had relatively lower level of PFC in their blood.

The people included in the study had almost 500 times higher level of PFOA, a type of PFC as compared to a normal American citizen. However, their level of PFOS, another type of PFC was like any other person. The women in the age group of 42 and 51 with a PFOS level in the top 20% had almost 40% chance of having gone through menopause.

The rising level of PFOS in blood is generally linked to a lower level of estrogen. As the level of PFOS in the study group was comparable to an average American citizen, so the conclusions drawn from the study are applicable to all the people, whether they were a part of the study or not.

PFCs Act As Endocrine Disruptors in Animals

Research has shown that PFCs act as endocrine disruptors in animals and hamper the normal functioning of the hormones. No study till date has proven a similar affect in humans. However the latest study has found a co-relation between high levels of PFC in blood and low estrogens even though it does not directly implicate PFC as the cause behind it.

PFCs are man made chemicals with no natural sources. They are usually released during the production of aluminum and semiconductors. PFCs are also being increasingly used in refrigerators as a replacement to CFCs and HCFCs which cause damage to the ozone layer. They are also used to make fluoropolymers which are responsible for the non stick properties of cookware.

Widespread leakage of PFCs from the industries has resulted in their presence everywhere in the environment. They are found in water, soil, plants, animals and even human beings. PFCs were found to be present in more than 98% blood samples taken from average U.S. citizens during a government study conducted in 2004. 

Read More: Homemade Household Cleaners: Are They Better Than the Chemical Cleaners?

There have been a large number of reports suggesting that the indiscriminate use of non stick cookware by the people can lead to the risk of exposure to PFOA. But the FDA, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China, have found the risk to be negligible.

Until now, nothing much was known about the deleterious effects that PFCs can cause to the humans. But this study has shown a correlation between PFCs and low estrogen. Earlier menopause and low levels of estrogen in the blood can give rise to conditions such as heart diseases and osteoporosis. Therefore, more studies are needed to show whether PFCs indeed are the cause behind the low estrogen levels and whether PFCs pose any other health risks.