Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women
Boronow KE, Brody JG, Schaider LA, Peaslee GF, Havas L, Cohn BA (2019). Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
What they found
Flossing with Oral-B Glide was associated with higher levels of some PFAS in blood, as were stain-resistant carpet or furniture and living in a city with PFAS-contaminated water. In African American women only, frequent eating of food from coated cardboard containers was linked to higher levels of four PFAS. Testing confirmed fluorine in Glide and competitor flosses.
- Sample
- 178 middle-aged women (about half African American); flosses tested for fluorine
- What it can't tell you
- Association, not causation. Blood was drawn in 2010–13 but behaviour was asked in 2015–16, so recall may not match the time of sampling. 178 women, one cohort. The floss test measured total fluorine (consistent with PTFE), not how much transfers to the body.
- Funding
- NICHD (R01HD058515) and California Breast Cancer Research Program; authors declare no conflicts. Silent Spring Institute, a nonprofit research group, is among the author affiliations.
- Topics
- Personal care, Packaging, Chemicals
- Checked against
- Abstract (Europe PMC, PMID 30622332); funding and COI from open-access full text (PMC6380931)