USC Study Shows Relationship Between PFAS and Cancer Incidence

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as forever chemicals) are used in many different consumer products. They are found in around 45% of the United States’s drinking water supplies. The chemicals are slow to break down and have been linked to medical problems in the past. Earlier this year, the Keck School of Medicine at USC published a study in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology that showed communities that are exposed to drinking water contaminated by PFAS suffer a 33% higher incidence of specific cancers. These cancers are kidney cancer, testicular cancer, liver cancer, thyroid cancer, thyroid disease, and ulcerative colitis. If you were diagnosed with cancer and believe it’s related to PFAS drinking water contamination, please call the seasoned Chicago-based lawyers of Moll Law Group. Billions have been recovered in cases with which we’ve been involved. We represent plaintiffs across the country.

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The study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC is the first to look at cancer and PFAS-contaminated drinking water. It’s an ecological study that deploys large population-level datasets to find patterns of exposure and related risks. They compared two datasets, one related to all cancer cases reported between 2016-2021 and the other covering data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program on PFAS in drinking water around the United States.

Between 2016-2021, the study found, counties with PFAS-contaminated drinking water had higher incidence of specific cancers—the PFAS-contaminated drinking water is estimated to be involved in 6800 cancer cases every year. There are differences in cancer incidence between the sexes. Males in counties with contaminated water had higher rates of leukemia, urinary system cancers, and brain and soft tissue cancers than males who lived in counties with uncontaminated water. Females had higher rates of thyroid, mouth, throat and soft tissue cancers. Other factors that can influence risk of cancer were controlled for at different levels as well, including age, urbanicity, socioeconomic status, smoking rates, and prevalence of obesity.

The first author of the study, Shiwen Li, explained that an initial conclusion had been reached about the links between certain rare cancers and PFAS, but that this initial conclusion also suggested that it would be worthwhile to look more closely at each link.

In 2029, the Environmental Protection Agency will enforce regulations about levels of 6 kinds of PFAS in drinking water.

Now that there have been findings at the level of populations that suggest links between PFAS and the development of certain cancers, it will be important for individual studies to take place to figure out whether the connection is truly causal rather than correlative. The study is evidence that PFAS levels need to be limited.

If you have one of the aforementioned rare cancers and you believe it is linked to PFAS-contaminated drinking water, call the experienced Chicago-based product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group about whether you have grounds to seek damages in a lawsuit. Our firm is dedicated to fighting for injured consumers and patients around the United States. Complete our online form or call us at 312.462.1700.