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PFAS alters brain metabolism and causes growth and developmental delays, according to a new study.
Researchers examined PFAS levels in 312 overweight or obese adolescents from the Study of Latino Adolescents at Risk (SOLAR) and 137 young adults from the Southern California Children’s Health Study (CHS). PFAS exposure was associated with alterations in tyrosine metabolism, the study concluded. Levels of thyroxine, a thyroid hormone associated with tyrosine, increased up to 72 percent if the subject had elevated levels of PFAS. .
“Accumulating evidence suggests that PFAS exposure is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders,” the researchers noted. “PFAS exposure during sensitive periods of development, such as childhood or adolescence, is of particular concern because this is an important developmental stage for cellular differentiation and development of metabolic tissues.”
PFAS Use
PFAS production began in the 1930s. Pretty much anything “waterproof” or “water-resistant” contained these chemicals. Companies also used these chemicals in consumer products like Teflon coated cookware and stain-resistant carpet.
Scientists continued to test PFAS and synthesized aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). This substance was soon standard issue not only on aircraft carriers, but also most military and civilian ships, airplanes, and airports.
Additional research uncovered that the substance-barrier quality of PFAS made it a useful ingredient in microwave popcorn packaging, corrosion-resistant pimples, and thousands of other products.
PFAS Effects
Toxic PFAS chemicals, which alter cell DNA, can cause a wide range of serious health problems, such as:
· Hypercholesterolemia: High cholesterol, a PFAS effect discovered in the 1990s, usually isn’t life threatening by itself. However, it’s usually deadly if the victim has a pre-existing medical condition.
· Ulcerative Colitis: UC typically isn’t life threatening either. But people who suffer from this nasty condition have a hard time functioning at work, home, or anywhere else. Therefore, Ulcerative Colitis is often disabling. PFOA and PFOS significantly alter immune and inflammatory responses in human and animal species.
· Cancer: Laboratory studies have linked PFAS with about two dozen kinds of cancer, mostly kidney, pancreatic, liver, and testicular cancer. PFAS causes increased production of hepatic aromatase, an estrogen-like substance that’s produced in the liver.
· Pre-Eclampsia: Pregnancy-related hypertension is life threatening to both mothers and babies. Doctors speculate that PFAS alters immune functions and disrupts placentation, specifically the placental blood supply.
In 2022, Maine legislators passed a law banning PFAS use in that state beginning in 2030. Based on the above health risks, similar laws in other jurisdictions are almost certain to follow.
Your Claim for Damages
Legislative bans and other tight PFAS regulations are important. But these moves do nothing to compensate the victims of PFAS exposure. Only an experienced environmental litigator can do that. Victims have several legal options in these situations.
PFAS-laced products are defective products. Companies ignored the health risks, which were apparent as early as the 1950s. They not only kept using PFAS, they greatly expanded its use. Usually, companies are strictly liable for the damages their defective products cause.
Compensation in defective product claims usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are often available in these claims as well.
Failure to warn is usually an option as well. These negligence claims state that the company didn’t live up to its duty of care, which includes a responsibility to warn people about chemical and other side-effects.
These claims are slightly easier to prove than defective product claims. These victims don’t have to prove PFAS caused their illnesses. They must simply prove that the company failed to warn them about the elevated risk. However, jurors rarely award punitive damages in negligence cases.
In some states, PFAS use is an inherently dangerous activity. Usually, in terms of the proof required and damages available, IDA is somewhere between strict liability and negligence. Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with a skilled PFAS contamination attorney, contact Napoli Shkolnik.