A persistent form of human pollution is entering our bodies in ways we never fully understood. Using human tissue models, researchers from the University of Birmingham have demonstrated that “forever chemicals,” such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds, or PFAS, are surprisingly capable of penetrating human skin.
Research by Ragnarsdóttir and her colleagues indicates that this isn’t always the case. Currently, there are over 12,000 identified PFAS variants on the market.
However, experts are still unsure of the exact degree of exposure needed for these pollutants to cause hazardous consequences in the body or how cosmetic items connect to persistent chemicals in circulation.
The researchers examined 17 of the most prevalent and well-researched compounds to concentrate their efforts. The scientists observed which compounds were absorbed after applying each one to a 3D human skin model that was created to resemble actual human skin.
Within 36 hours, 15 of the PFAS that were evaluated infiltrated into the skin model. Perfluoro octanoic acid, or PFOA, is one particularly concerning chemical that was examined; it is so dangerous that its manufacture was phased out in the United States in the early 2000s. but not before it dispersed among the surroundings. It frequently appears in still tap water.
Because of its potential to cause cancer when swallowed or inhaled, PFOA was outlawed worldwide in 2023 by the United Nations Stockholm Convention. It appears that the chemical can now enter the body through the skin.
Approximately 13.5 percent of the total PFOA that was placed into the study’s model entered the bloodstream. Furthermore, 38 percent of it remained soaked into the skin, where it would later be easily absorbed into the bloodstream.
A single male participant in a recent research “unambiguously demonstrated” that chemicals from sunscreen can enter the skin and bloodstream if PFOA is present, which it occasionally is.
These days, PFOA is substituted with long-lasting compounds with shorter carbon chains; nevertheless, concerning new study indicates that the longer the chain, the more difficult it is to absorb through the skin.
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), one of these more recent, shorter-chained compounds, was absorbed into the skin four times faster than PFOA.
PFPeA, a substance frequently found in food packaging, has been demonstrated to be systemically hazardous when administered topically to mouse models. However, it is unethical to test such substances on living beings directly. A 3D skin model offers a helpful research avenue without posing a threat to others.
The method was used earlier this year to demonstrate how some other chemicals, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are used in harmful flame retardants and are infamously difficult to break down, can seep into the skin and enter the bloodstream in as little as a day.
There are still a lot of unanswered concerns regarding persistent chemicals and how they penetrate the skin, but when toxicologists are shunning specific cosmetic brands out of concern about potential PFAS exposure, something has to change.
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