UK launches major study on PFAS exposure in population

The UK Health Security Agency is launching its first major biomonitoring study to analyze blood and urine samples from the Health Survey for England, establishing baseline levels for synthetic PFAS chemicals alongside lead, arsenic, and phthalates. While PFAS exposure has been linked to elevated cholesterol, reduced birth weights, and cancer, officials currently advise against routine individual blood testing due to a lack of established clinical treatments.

UK Health Security Agency biomonitoring study

• ▪The UK Health Security Agency launched a national biomonitoring study using blood and urine samples from the Health Survey for England to measure baseline population levels of PFAS, lead, arsenic, bisphenols, phthalates, and flame retardants
• ▪Dr. Edward Wynne-Evans of the UK Health Security Agency stated that the UKHSA's biomonitoring study aims to build an evidence base to fill gaps regarding how different levels of chemical exposure affect individual long-term health
• ▪The UK Health Security Agency expects to publish initial findings from its population biomonitoring study on PFAS, lead, and arsenic exposure between 2027 and next year

Guidance and evidence on individual blood testing

• ▪Dr. Edward Wynne-Evans stated the UK government does not recommend routine individual PFAS blood testing because no established clinical interventions exist to follow an elevated test result
• ▪Professor Tony Fletcher from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine stated that low levels of PFAS are likely present in everyone's blood, though individual risks of adverse disease remain low without ongoing exposure

Local contamination concerns in affected communities

• ▪Residents living near a chemical factory in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, with known PFAS contamination have sought individual blood tests despite official guidance against routine clinical testing
• ▪Professor Tony Fletcher noted that community members living in areas with local PFAS contamination express anger regarding potential long-term health risks from ongoing environmental exposure
• ▪Blood tests conducted on residents of Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, who live near a chemical factory, revealed high concentrations of the banned chemical PFOA

Health impacts and risks of PFAS exposure

• ▪The World Health Organization classed perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a group 1 carcinogen, leading the United Kingdom to ban its use in 2020
• ▪The UK Health Security Agency states current evidence suggests overall health impacts from PFAS are likely limited, with global data showing the strongest links to raised cholesterol and lower birth weights
• ▪Banned PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS have been linked in large population studies to cancer risks, lower birth weights, thyroid dysfunction, liver enzyme changes, and reduced childhood vaccine antibody responses

PFAS definitions and environmental persistence

• ▪PFAS comprise a group of more than 15,000 synthetic chemicals manufactured since the 1940s and 1950s for use in non-stick cookware, clothing, cosmetics, food packaging, and firefighting foams
• ▪PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they resist water, oil, and heat, preventing them from breaking down easily in soil, waterways, and the environment