WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, commonly referred as forever chemicals, can pass through skin, according to a new study published in Environment International.
PFAS are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products, as per National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
These chemicals are found in items such as cosmetics, waterproof clothes, food packaging and dental floss.
During the study by researchers at the University of Birmingham, samples of 17 most widely used forever chemicals were applied on laboratory grown tissue which was similar to human skin. Of which, 15 were found to be absorbed by the tissue.
'The ability of these chemicals to be absorbed through skin has previously been dismissed because the molecules are ionised,' lead author Oddny Ragnarsdottir said. 'The electrical charge that gives them the ability to repel water and stains was thought to also make them incapable of crossing the skin membrane'.
'Our research shows that this theory does not always hold true and that, in fact, uptake through the skin could be a significant source of exposure to these harmful chemicals,' Ragnarsdottir added.
Researchers also noted that modern PFAS with shorter carbon chains were easily absorbed in the human skin.
Prof Stuart Harrad, co-author of the study, commented, 'This study helps us to understand how important exposure to these chemicals via the skin might be and also which chemical structures might be most easily absorbed.'
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