Toxic Forever Chemicals Pass Into Human Skin, Scientists Warn

For the first time, scientists have found that toxic “forever” chemicals can pass through human skin and enter into our bloodstream. The findings raise new questions about the safety of these chemicals in everyday products and the extent of our exposure.

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PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, are a class of chemicals that can be found in a range of everyday products, from toilet paper to food packaging, cosmetics and dental floss. Nicknamed forever chemicals, these compounds break down very slowly over time and stick around in their surrounding environment.

As a result, these chemicals can be found in soil, oceans and waterways around the world. Indeed, a 2023 study by the United States Geological Survey found that nearly half of the nation’s tap water was contaminated by some sort of PFAS.

The widespread nature of these chemicals is concerning as numerous studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and increased blood cholesterol and blood pressure, reduced immunity, reproductive issues and an increased risk of certain cancers, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports.

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PFAS were already known to enter the body through various routes, including being breathed in or ingested via food and drinking water. However, it was previously thought that they could not penetrate our skin barrier.

“The ability of these chemicals to be absorbed through skin has previously been dismissed because the molecules are ionised,” said Oddny Ragnarsdóttir, a research fellow in trace chemical analysis at the U.K.’s University of Birmingham, in a statement. “The electrical charge that gives them the ability to repel water and stains was thought to also make them incapable of crossing the skin membrane.

“Our research shows that this theory does not always hold true and that, in fact, uptake through the skin could be a significant source of exposure to these harmful chemicals,” Ragnarsdóttir said.

In their study, published in the journal Environment International, Ragnarsdóttir and her colleagues used 3D human skin models to analyze the absorption of 17 of the most widely used PFAS. Of these chemicals, 15 were found to be absorbed by the skin.

In particular, PFAS with a shorter molecular structure appeared to be more easily absorbed by the skin.

“This is important because we see a shift in industry towards chemicals with shorter chain lengths because these are believed to be less toxic,” said study co-author Stuart Harrad, an environmental chemistry professor at the University of Birmingham, in a statement. “However, the trade-off might be that we absorb more of them, so we need to know more about the risks involved.”

Exactly how much of a risk these chemicals pose is still not entirely clear, but these findings highlight the importance of future studies into their impacts on human health.

“Our study provides first insight into significance of the dermal route as pathway of exposure to a wide range of forever chemicals,” said study co-author Mohamed Abdullah, an associate professor in persistent organic pollutions at the British university, in a statement.

“Given the large number of existing PFAS, it is important that future studies aim to assess the risk of broad ranges of these toxic chemicals, rather than focusing on one chemical at a time,” he said.

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