- Exposure to PFAS was linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure in middle-aged women.
- The synthetic chemicals are notoriously difficult to break down in the environment.
- Humans are exposed to PFAS in drinking water, food, and air — with consequences for health.
Nearly half of the US adult population is at an increased risk of stroke and heart disease due to high blood pressure.
Chronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, forces the heart to work extra hard and can damage the arteries if left untreated, according to the American Heart Association. While hypertension is slightly more common in men overall, women are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure as they age.
Exposure to synthetic chemicals called PFAS can also raise a woman's risk of high blood pressure in midlife, according to findings published Monday in the journal Hypertension.
Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at health data from more than 1,000 women ages 45 to 56, who were followed over nearly two decades in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Multi-Pollutant Study. The study was designed to evaluate the health effects of various chemical exposures, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS are man-made chemicals widely used to make products resistant to heat, grease, stains, or water. They're often nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they do not naturally break down in the environment, which can lead to PFAS contamination in drinking water, soil, air, and the food we consume.
As a result, most people have been exposed to PFAS and may have detectable levels of the chemicals in their blood. Several studies have considered the potential health effects of PFAS exposure, which include a higher risk of liver disease and certain cancers — and based on recent evidence, hypertension can be linked to chemical exposures as well.
Women with normal blood pressure went on to develop hypertension
The study included more than 1,000 women who had normal blood pressure levels when they joined. Women were recruited from five sites across the country; just over half of participants were white, 15% were Black, and the rest were East Asian.
In annual check-ups between 1999 and 2017, 470 women developed high blood pressure. The researchers found that women who had relatively high blood levels of all seven PFAS chemicals measured at the start of the study later had a 71% increased risk of becoming hypertensive.
The group of chemicals known as PFAS include multiple man-made substances that are typically used to make products resistant to heat, grease, stains, or water. Some "older" chemicals have been banned or phased out, but next-generation PFAS have popped up to take their place.
New and old PFAS have been found in cosmetics, takeout containers, drinking water, clothing, and household items in recent years.
Senior author Sung Kyun Park, an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, noted that the combined exposure to multiple PFAS had a stronger effect on blood pressure, demonstrating the need to regulate several different chemicals.
"Some states are beginning to ban the use of PFAS in food packaging and cosmetic and personal care products," he said in a press release. "Our findings make it clear that strategies to limit the widespread use of PFAS in products need to be developed. Switching to alternative options may help reduce the incidence of high blood pressure risk in midlife women."