Recent research reveals that ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS can be absorbed through human skin, challenging previous assumptions and highlighting a significant exposure route. This discovery underscores the need for further research into the health impacts of these widely used substances.
Research on 17 widely used synthetic ‘forever chemicals’ indicates that these harmful substances can be readily absorbed through human skin.
New research, published in Environment International proves for the first time that a wide range of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) – chemicals which do not break down in nature – can permeate the skin barrier and reach the body’s bloodstream.
PFAS are used widely in industries and consumer products from school uniforms to personal care products because of their water and stain-repellent properties. While some substances have been banned by government regulation, others are still widely used and their toxic effects have not yet been fully investigated.
PFAS are already known to enter the body through other routes, for example being breathed in or ingested via food or drinking water, and they are known to cause adverse health effects such as a lowered immune response to vaccination, impaired liver function and decreased birth weight.
It has commonly been thought that PFAS are unable to breach the skin barrier, although recent studies have shown links between the use of personal care products and PFAS concentrations in human blood and breast milk. The new study is the most comprehensive assessment yet undertaken of the absorption of PFAS into human skin and confirms that most of them can enter the body via this route.
Details of the Research
Lead author of the study, Dr Oddný Ragnarsdóttir carried out the research while studying for her PhD at the DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108772