New studies reveal alarming information about the impact of these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These “forever chemicals” are a serious threat to male fertility. PFAS are an entire class of more than 14,000 synthetic chemicals. They’re notorious for their amazing ability to never decompose, persisting in the environment for hundreds if not thousands of years. These chemicals are ubiquitous in many industrial and household products — from commercial firefighting foam to non-stick frying pans.
The University of Newcastle conducted a study where researchers exposed mice to “environmentally relevant” levels of PFAS through their drinking water for a period of 12 weeks. Those findings are due to be made public in the next year. Jacinta Martin, lead researcher of the pilot study, had high hopes for the findings.
Community Advocacy and Government Response
Lindsay Clout, a leading face in the fight against PFAS contamination for almost a decade, has focused attention on the disastrous impact. Clout pointed out that PFAS blood levels among residents in the affected areas are terrifyingly elevated.
“We’ve got PFAS blood-levels on people in the area that are just through the roof.” – Lindsay Clout
In response to growing concerns, the Department of Defence undertook remedial work on soil, groundwater, and surface water in the Williamtown area from 2018 to 2022. Recent defense spending records indicate a hopeful direction. Concentrations of PFAS in groundwater have dropped at three of the sites where the state has installed water treatment plants.
Even as Clout points out major remediation efforts continue, those efforts still fall short.
“It could be all very well to clean up the PFAS contamination … but it’s not over because we’ve got offspring that could have been affected in prenatal stages.” – Lindsay Clout
Understanding PFAS Toxicity
The difficulty in determining PFAS’s impact is deeply understood by those who know the work best. Professor Ian Rae from the University of Melbourne stated that identifying the effects of PFAS in isolation poses significant challenges.
“Careful analysis of data and elimination of influences other than PFAS can be hard to rule out because the PFAS chemicals are only – when compared to many other toxins – rather mild and their effects can be hard to pin down.” – Professor Ian Rae
Rae described the current research as “good, solid experimental work” that contributes to a deeper understanding of PFAS toxicity. Martin pointed out that despite finding sperm to be normal in their study, they still found some very notable changes.
“When we looked closely at the sperm, they kind of looked normal, they swam well, they were capable of fertilising an egg.” – Jacinta Martin
Implications for Future Research
The implications of these findings go far beyond the immediate health impacts. Martin said there is a narrow bandwidth for what body weight at birth should be. He cautioned that any variation from this belt could be a sign of malfunctions to come.
“Body weight at birth happens in a very perfect curve, so any changes from the norm could be a problem.” – Dr. Martin
Ongoing research is vital. It’s an important step towards exposing the long-term impacts of PFAS exposure on reproductive health and public health as a whole.
