Pfas put women at higher risk of high blood pressure

Middle-aged women exposed to high concentrations of pfas (hard-to-break chemicals) have an increased risk of high blood pressure. That is the conclusion of a large-scale and long-term American study that was published Monday in the scientific journal Hypertension.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, usually abbreviated to pfas, are used in a wide range of products, from non-stick coatings and dental floss to rain gear and extinguishing foam. They are also called “eternal chemicals” because they are particularly persistent in the environment. People can ingest pfas in a variety of ways, by inhalation, through food or through drinking water. In addition, pfas accumulate in the body; these substances are now measurable in almost everyone’s blood.

Health effects of pfas are of course greatest at high concentrations. Previous research has shown that the substances can disrupt the hormone balance and the immune system and can also be carcinogenic. A link has also been made previously with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to pfas. Since high blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the American researchers focused on that.

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Larger scale approach

Previous research into the link between pfas and blood pressure has yielded conflicting results, with some studies showing an effect and others not. That is why the Americans opted for a larger-scale approach in this new study.

More than a thousand women took part in the study, who were followed for an average of eighteen years. The researchers deliberately chose middle-aged women as the target group, because around the menopause there is an extra risk of developing high blood pressure and the associated heart disease. During the study, 470 women developed high blood pressure, as measured during the annual measurement or determined because they were prescribed antihypertensive drugs by their doctor.

Women who had the highest concentrations of pfas in their blood at the baseline measurement were found to have developed too high blood pressure relatively often in the following years. This association was present for several types of pfas, but not for all. In an analysis where the researchers took the seven measured pfas together, it was found that the third of the women with the highest exposure had an average 71 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

Because of the pre-selected research population, the researchers do not dare to extrapolate their results to other population groups, younger or older women and men. The researchers also write that the highest concentrations of pfas were measured in black women in their study. They attribute this to social inequality in American society, with minorities more likely to live near airports and industrial areas.

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A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of June 14, 2022