studying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances<\/a>, more frequently referred to as PFASs. These synthetic chemical compounds create more of a risk than many others if they're subject to public exposure, largely due to their inability to biodegrade. <\/p>\nRainer Lohmann, a professor of oceanography at URI who will be involved in the study, described PFAs succinctly in an interview with the news provider: "They are extremely persistent. They just don't go away."<\/p>\n
PFASs show up in a number of common household items – stain-resistant carpeting, furniture and nonstick cookware – as well as at most airfields, in the form of flame retardants used in extinguishers. Existing research conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency linked the substances to increased risk of cancer, immune-system weaknesses, high cholesterol levels and detrimental effects on the average human metabolism. As such, the NIEHS authorized $88 million in grant money to fund the URI study over a five-year period. Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Silent Spring Institute will assist URI researchers' efforts. <\/p>\n
Georgetown researchers develop biomarker to determine chemicals' DNA damage potential <\/strong>
While toxicity tests have come a long way, they still have certain limitations, including a major shortfall related to assessments of a given chemical's potential to damage human DNA – a factor known as genotoxicity. As such, these tests may not be as efficacious in their determination of cancer risks as possible.<\/p>\nHowever, a new method devised by doctors and scientists at Georgetown University in the nation's capital may have effectively solved this conundrum, though further research is likely necessary. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences academic journal, this text uses a biomarker based on genes actively expressed within a patient's cells. Researchers at the school's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found that the genetic material can reveal a great deal about how cells respond to DNA damage. The biomarker, called TGx-DDI, was then applied to numerous chemicals with and without previous history of DNA damage.<\/p>\n
Results were as follows:<\/p>\n
\n- Chemicals previously established as harmless to genes and non-carcinogenic tested negative.<\/li>\n
- All known genotoxins tested positive. <\/li>\n
- The Georgetown team concluded that its biomarker test was 90 percent accurate, a threshold previously unmatched by other methods of assessment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Albert J. Fornace, MD, who helped conduct the study, spoke highly of the test. "Compared to older tests, our approach allows for very accurate and high-throughput screening of chemical compounds that cause DNA damage, and potentially cancer, in humans," he said, according to the PNAS journal. <\/p>\n
Because many common chemicals haven't undergone any assessment for genotoxicity, the Georgetown study could lead to further human health and environmental impact assessment of hundreds or thousands of substances. Those in the industry may thus need to prepare for new chemical use restrictions or bans in the future.<\/p>\n