DAILY TRIFECTA: There's Cancer In The Water
Some chemicals are forever
TITLE: PFAS Compounds, Known as Forever Chemicals, Accelerate Cancer Migration
https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/oncology/pfas-compounds-known-as-forever-chemicals-accelerate-cancer-migration/
EXCERPT: In a series of experiments led by the lab of senior author Caroline Johnson, the team observed the effects of colorectal cancer cells immersed in low-dose and high-dose PFAS solutions for up to seven days, including perflurooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA). Both have been used in firefighting foam and many other products. Notably, the researchers used exposure levels similar to those detected in firefighters and others in frequent contact with PFAS, such as people living near landfills, airports, military bases, or wastewater treatment plants.
The researchers also used two types of colorectal cancer cells—one with a normal wild-type KRAS gene (SW48 KRAS wild-type), and the other KRAS-mutated (SW48 KRAS G12A). KRAS mutations are known as a common driver of some colorectal cancers. The SW48 KRAS G12A genetic mutation is linked with a lower survival rate among all KRAS mutation types and is representative of an aggressive form of colorectal cancer for which no therapies are currently available.
During immersion, the cells formed into tiny balls called spheroids. While the lowest PFAS levels did not induce migration, the highest 10μM dosage did cause migration of the colorectal cancer spheroids, showing a tendency to spread and penetrate membranes. When the SW48 KRAS G12A cells were exposed to higher PFOS/PFOA doses for 24 hours, their migration ability significantly increased from 28% to 50%.
In another experiment mimicking wound healing, researchers grew the cells in a flat, two-dimensional layer, then drew a scratch down the middle, separating half of the cells from the other half. When they added PFAS, the cell lines grew and migrated back together again.
“It doesn’t prove it’s metastasis, but they have increased motility, which is a feature of metastasis,” Johnson says.
The team also noted metabolic changes that were consistent with cancer metastasis. The spheroids produced a variety of fatty acids, amino acids, and signaling proteins in patterns previously linked to metastasis. In contrast, small-chain fatty acids, which can protect against tumors and inflammation, were downregulated.
TITLE: Blood testing, public policy and alternatives: A path forward for PFAS concerns
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/blood-testing-public-policy-and-alternatives-a-path-forward-for-pfas-concerns/N6JRZMNFU5EGPMW3HDXR4YSRKE/
EXCERPT: [E]nvironmental and health advocates say people with concerns about their level of exposure to PFAS can be proactive about their own health.
A report by the National Academy of Sciences last year recommended blood testing for PFAS, as well as public health monitoring and a robust campaign to educate the public and medical providers alike about the impact of PFAS exposure.
“The people who live, work, and play in environments where PFAS contamination exceeds standards do not know how to protect themselves from the health risks of exposure,” the report states. “Many have been exposed to PFAS for decades and may continue to be exposed in their homes or workplaces.”
Olga Naidenko, vice president of science investigations at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), said research shows people who live near sites contaminated with PFAS frequently have much higher levels of PFAS in their blood compared to the general population.
“Blood testing for PFAS can be very informative, especially for community members whose water, soil, food and air have been affected by PFAS pollution,” she said. “Knowledge of PFAS levels allows the person to make more informed decisions about everyday PFAS exposure.”
Cost can be a barrier for people wanting their blood tested. In general, it costs more to test samples for a larger number of PFAS compounds. Some labs offer at-home tests for $250, while other labs offer tests that cost up to $600.
A particularly vulnerable population for PFAS exposure is veterans and firefighters who work hands-on with toxic foam. A federal study by the National Cancer Institute shows evidence that U.S. Air Force service workers who were firefighters had elevated levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams.
Navy veteran Les Pomerville, of Beavercreek, fears his work with firefighting foam may have influenced his health issues, including breathing difficulty.
Pomerville served in the U.S. Navy for 12 years, and one of his duties was to extinguish flames on his ship or at his military base. It’s a role he took pride in, as his father was a firefighter.
In the years since, he’s lost many of his fellow servicemen to cancer, and his weeks are busy with medical appointments for his illnesses.
The veteran said blood testing could be a means to better understand his health. It’s an option he himself has talked about with his doctor and hopes to have completed in the near future.
“It would be great to find out what exactly is causing my illness,” he said. “But I really just want to know, one way or the other, if this could be affecting my system or not.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not recommend blood testing for PFAS, saying on its website that “blood tests cannot be linked to current or future health conditions.”
[Ohio Environmental Council managing director of water policy Melanie] Houston disagrees, saying there are parallels between testing required for children and lead exposure and PFAS blood testing: documented health impacts are recorded for PFAS, and research shows the toxic substances are prevalent.
“I certainly think that it’s something health professionals, experts, regulators should be looking at,” Houston said. “That’s helping us to paint the picture for where actions are needed, having that data and that science. Anytime community members can arm themselves with more data to advocate on behalf of themselves and their communities, the better they are situated.”
TITLE: ‘Forever chemicals’ were everywhere in 2023. Expect more litigation in 2024
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/forever-chemicals-were-everywhere-2023-expect-more-litigation-2024-2023-12-28/
EXCERPT: The EPA has said PFAS has been found in the environment all over the world, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found the chemicals may be in the blood of 97% of Americans, so the possible number of plaintiffs could be huge.
Legal experts predict more PFAS-related lawsuits to be filed outside of the MDL (multidistrict litigation in South Carolina federal court) in 2024, including more claims against consumer brands whose products contain PFAS and more personal injury claims.
“The litigation story is just beginning,” said Kenneth Rivlin, the head of Allen & Overy's environmental law group.
Experts also expect key developments in the MDL in 2024. At least one trial is scheduled in August, when water utilities will make their case that companies that made firefighting foams but did not settle in June are responsible for PFAS-related cleanup costs.
Meanwhile, the process for selecting bellwethers for thousands of personal injury cases in the MDL is underway, and the first trials for plaintiffs with kidney cancer, testicular cancer, hypothyroidism and ulcerative colitis are expected to be scheduled in 2024.
Cases outside South Carolina may also be scheduled for trial, including a lawsuit brought by a group of 100,000 North Carolina residents claiming Chemours and others are responsible for PFAS dumped into the Cape Fear River and a lawsuit brought by homeowners in Maine who claim a local paper mill contaminated their groundwater wells.
Experts are also watching for more potential settlements between chemical firms and state attorneys general that claim PFAS is damaging their rivers, wildlife and other natural resources, after New Jersey and Ohio signed their own settlements for $393 million and $110 million respectively in 2023. So far, more than two dozen state attorneys general have filed PFAS lawsuits, 14 of which were filed in 2023.
There's also been a growth in recent years in the number of consumer class action lawsuits against companies that produce clothing, personal hygiene products such as dental floss and even food wrappers that contain PFAS and that litigation is likely to continue ramping up, according to David Fusco, an attorney at K&L Gates.
The EPA has meanwhile indicated it is moving forward with regulations in the new year that would set enforceable limits for some PFAS in drinking water, and potentially designate some PFAS as hazardous under the U.S. Superfund law, which establishes liability and cost sharing to clean up polluted sites.
Lauren Brogdon, a partner at Haynes and Boone, said those regulations "will almost undoubtedly spur litigation into 2024 and beyond."