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New research links higher levels of PFAS in the blood to a lower immune response.
This isn’t the first time the association has been made—previously, researchers have studied levels of PFAS exposure to childhood vaccine antibody levels.
PFAS are found in a variety of household products, such as some nonstick cookware, as well as in drinking water, making them hard to avoid entirely. Because of this, experts caution you to do your best to eliminate exposure, but not to stress.
By now, you’ve probably heard that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pretty much everywhere, from the environment to human brains. Unfortunately, these “forever chemicals” have even been detected in drinking water, making them tricky to avoid.
But while researchers keep spotting PFAS all over the place, scientists are still diving into exactly what impact these chemicals can have on our health. Now, there’s new research to add to the growing list that suggests these forever chemicals aren’t doing you any favors in the health department.
The latest study, which was published in the journal Environmental Research, discovered a link between PFAS exposure and a weakened immune response. It’s a stretch at this point to say that PFAS exposure is wrecking your immune system, but the findings are raising a lot of questions. Here’s what experts want you to know.
Meet the experts: Courtney Carignan, PhD, senior author of the study and an environmental health researcher at Michigan State University; John Rumpler, clean water director and senior attorney for Environment America; and Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are a big class of man-made chemicals used in a wide range of products. Those include non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams, according to Courtney Carignan, PhD, senior author of the study and an environmental health researcher at Michigan State University.
These “forever chemicals” don’t easily break down in the environment and can build up in your body over time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). PFAS have been detected in everything from soil, air, water, breast milk, and blood.
What did the study find?
For the study, researchers recruited 74 people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within one to six months before their blood was drawn. All of the participants had PFAS that were detected in their drinking water.
The participants gave blood samples that were analyzed for PFAS and the spike protein antibody for COVID-19, called IgG Spike. (The spike protein is what SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses to infect you.) Nine PFAS were detected in 70 percent or more of the participants’ blood.
After analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that higher PFAS levels were associated with lower spike protein antibodies in participants’ blood. The association was even stronger for people who were male or overweight. (It’s not clear why this was the case, but Carignan says these groups “tend to have higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies.”)
Why might PFAS interfere with immune response?
It’s important to stress that the study just found an association with PFAS and lower levels of spike protein antibodies—it didn’t prove that PFAS actually caused this.
At baseline, it’s possible that PFAS interfere with the development of the immune system and signaling within the system, Carignan says.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a new concept. “It’s been assessed with childhood vaccines,” explains Thomas Russo, MD, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. “The higher the exposure level to PFAS, the lower the antibody levels with certain vaccines.”
There seems to be something about PFAS that disrupts the development of B cells, which produce antibodies that help fight infections, Russo says. “Immunotoxicity is the buzzword for this,” he says. The exact reason for this is unclear, but Russo says that data seem to suggest PFAS may affect cells that produce antibodies, which then impacts a person’s immune response.
How concerned should you be?
This news isn’t great. “This is not the first time that we’ve seen the medical literature making a link between immune deficiencies and PFAS,” says John Rumpler, clean water director and senior attorney for Environment America. “This is just a reminder of why, as a nation, we need to take a precautionary approach to chemicals.”
Carignan says that people should be concerned by these findings as they are with risks related to lead and smoking. “Everyone should be concerned enough to take precautions,” she says.
How to lower your exposure to PFAS
This study specifically looked at PFAS exposure through drinking water, so focusing there is a good place to start, says Rumpler. “We know that PFAS have been found in the drinking water of millions of Americans across the country,” he says. “It’s a big problem.”
While there are federal limits for PFAS, compliance timelines are still evolving. In the meantime, there are water filters you can buy that can remove PFAS.
PFAS can also show up in stain-resistant sprays and non-stick cookware, Carignan points out—therefore, it’s best to avoid those when you can. “Also, paper cups for hot liquids have a liner that can contain PFAS,” she says.
Of course, there’s a lot of PFAS out there, and these chemicals don’t just go away. “It will not be possible to eliminate all exposures, so don’t stress and just do your best,” Carignan says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
Carina Hsieh, MPH, is the deputy features editor of Women’s Health. She has more than a decade’s worth of experience working in media and has covered everything from beauty, fashion, travel, lifestyle, pets, to health.
She began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Cosmopolitan where she worked her way up to Senior Sex & Relationships Editor. While covering women’s health there, she discovered her passion for health service journalism and took a break to get her Masters in Public Health. Post-grad school, she worked as a freelance writer and as The Daily Beast’s first Beauty, Health, and Wellness Reporter.
Carina is an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Yale School of Public Health. She and her French Bulldog, Bao Bao, split their time between Brooklyn and Connecticut. She enjoys reformer Pilates, (slow) running, and smelling the fancy toiletries in boutique fitness class locker rooms.