Australians have been warned to filter their tap water to remove chemicals linked to reduced fertility, after a concerning new study found even low levels cause irreversible damage that may be passed on to future generations.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals”, have been widely used in many consumer and industry products, such as non-stick pans and food packaging, for decades, and have been linked to increased risk of some cancers, liver disease, kidney disease, high cholesterol and obesity.
The first-of-its-kind Adelaide University study on the effects of tap water on female mice found that exposure to PFAS, even in trace amounts, disrupts female fertility, causing cellular damage to ovulated eggs and embryos, researchers revealed on Monday.
“Our study shows just four weeks of consuming regular tap water with low levels of PFAS chemicals was enough to reduce the number of cells and their function in embryos, causing DNA damage and impairing the viability of the embryo,” said Dr Yasmyn Winstanley from Adelaide University’s Robinson Research Institute, the study’s lead author.
“These effects were more obvious after six months of drinking tap water, with reductions in the fetal weight of the offspring after maternal exposure. Low birth weight can have long-term consequences and has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
“Most concerning was our finding that these developmental abnormalities appear to be passed on to the daughters and granddaughters of those exposed.”
The study looked at the three most common PFAS chemicals detected in water, PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS, and modelled PFAS exposure at levels present in tap water from the Adelaide CBD and four metropolitan residences which was considered safe by regulatory guidelines.
“The detrimental effects that were observed were not reversed when exposure stopped or through any antioxidant treatment,” senior author Professor Rebecca Robker said.
“This has important implications for health and highlights the urgent need for better water quality standards to reduce exposure to PFAS and other chemicals.”
But the study also found that carbon filtration was able to remove PFAS levels and protected the mouse embryos from contamination.
“We not only need to eliminate PFAS from our environment, we need greater awareness of the presence of trace levels in our tap water, and strategies to avoid the ongoing health effects that may come from exposure to these chemicals,” Dr Robker said.
The researchers now intend to test new technologies to remediate PFAS in tap water in the hopes of eventually preventing forever chemicals from affecting fertility.
Australian Bureau of Statistics released in May last year showed PFAS are detectable in the vast majority of the Australian population, with PFOS found in 98.6% of samples.
Header image: Stock image by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash.
The post Chemicals in tap water reduce fertility and damage DNA, study finds first appeared on The Noticer.
The NoticerRead More
T1
