A large new study has found that almost every person tested had dangerous “forever chemicals” in their blood, adding to growing concerns about how deeply these man-made substances have spread through modern life.
The research examined more than 10,500 blood samples and found that 98.8% contained at least one type of PFAS, a group of chemicals often called “forever chemicals” because they break down extremely slowly and can remain in the environment and the human body for many years.
The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene and represents one of the largest studies ever conducted on PFAS levels in human blood.
Researchers also discovered that most people were carrying not just one PFAS chemical, but several at the same time. About 98.5% of the people tested had multiple PFAS chemicals in their bodies.
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These chemicals have been widely used since the 1940s because they resist heat, oil, water, and stains. Manufacturers have added them to thousands of products used in daily life.
Today, PFAS can be found in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, stain-resistant carpets, firefighting foam, cosmetics, electronics, and even some medical products. Over time, the chemicals can move into water supplies, soil, food, and indoor dust.
Scientists are increasingly worried because PFAS do not easily disappear once released into the environment. Instead, they slowly build up in animals, ecosystems, and human bodies over many years.
Researchers still do not fully understand the health effects of all PFAS chemicals because there are around 10,000 different types. However, previous studies have linked some PFAS to serious health problems, including cancer, infertility, hormone disruption, liver damage, weakened immune systems, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, and developmental problems in children.
One chemical frequently found in the new study was perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, a type of PFAS already associated with possible damage to the liver, thyroid, and immune system.
The researchers analyzed 10,566 serum and plasma samples collected by NMS Labs, a major independent laboratory testing company in the United States. Most samples were tested for 13 different PFAS chemicals, while a smaller group was tested for 18 types.
The results showed that exposure to PFAS almost never happens one chemical at a time. Instead, people are usually exposed to complex mixtures containing several PFAS chemicals together.
Researchers identified dozens of different PFAS combinations in the blood samples. The most common combination included five PFAS chemicals and appeared in more than one-quarter of all samples tested.
These combinations often included older PFAS chemicals such as PFOS and PFOA, as well as newer replacement chemicals now commonly used in consumer products.
Scientists say this is important because most safety studies traditionally examine one chemical at a time. In real life, however, people are exposed to many PFAS chemicals together. Researchers worry that the combined effects may be more harmful than individual chemicals alone.
Dr. Laura Labay, the lead author of the study and a toxicologist at NMS Labs, said the findings provide a “real-world snapshot” of how common PFAS exposure has become.
She explained that understanding which PFAS mixtures appear most often in people could help scientists better study possible health risks and improve public health advice in the future.
Researchers also noted that some PFAS chemicals may not have been included in the testing panels. This means the true level of PFAS exposure in the population could actually be even higher than the study found.
Public concern about PFAS has grown rapidly in recent years. Communities across the United States and other countries have discovered PFAS contamination in drinking water supplies near military bases, airports, factories, and industrial sites where firefighting foam and industrial chemicals were used for decades.
Governments and health agencies are now trying to reduce exposure and better regulate these chemicals. Some PFAS have already been restricted or banned in certain countries, but many remain in widespread use.
One challenge is that PFAS are extremely useful in manufacturing because of their strong resistance to heat and water. Replacing them with safer alternatives has proven difficult for some industries.
Health experts say people can reduce exposure in small ways, such as avoiding products labeled stain-resistant or water-resistant when possible, using water filters certified for PFAS removal, and reducing use of heavily packaged fast foods.
However, researchers emphasize that PFAS contamination has become so widespread that completely avoiding exposure is now very difficult.
The study highlights how deeply these chemicals have become embedded in modern life and why scientists are increasingly focused on understanding their long-term health effects.
The findings also suggest that future research may need to focus more on how combinations of PFAS affect the body rather than studying only single chemicals one at a time.
The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
The findings are concerning because they suggest that PFAS exposure has become nearly universal in the United States. At the same time, scientists still do not fully understand the long-term health effects of carrying multiple PFAS chemicals in the body for decades.
While the study does not prove these chemicals directly caused illness in the people tested, it strongly supports growing concerns about widespread exposure. Researchers say larger and longer-term studies will be needed to better understand how these chemical mixtures may affect human health over time.
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Source: NMS Labs.
