Study links dental flossing to higher levels of toxic chemicals in body

The researchers measured 11 PFAS chemicals in blood samples taken from 178 middle-aged women enrolled in the Public Health Institute’s Child Health and Development Studies, a multigenerational study of the impact of environmental chemicals and other factors on disease. To understand how the participants’ behavior influenced their exposure to PFAS, the researchers then compared the blood measurements with results from interviews in which they asked the women about nine behaviors that could lead to higher exposures.

The study found that women who flossed with a major brand tended to have higher levels of a type of PFAS called perfluorohexanesulfonic acid in their body compared with those who did not. To further understand the connection, the researchers tested 18 dental flosses for the presence of fluorine, which is a marker of PFAS. All three products of the major brand tested positive for fluorine. In addition, one store brand floss describing itself as a “single-strand Teflon fiber” tested positive for fluorine.

The reason scientists are concerned about widespread exposure to PFAS in the population is that the chemicals have been linked to negative health effects, including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low birth weight, decreased fertility and effects on the immune system.

“This is the first study to show that using dental floss containing PFAS is associated with a higher body burden of these toxic chemicals,” said lead author Katie Boronow, a staff scientist at the institute. “The good news is, based on our findings, consumers can choose flosses that don’t contain PFAS.”

The study, titled “Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women,” was published online in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology on Jan. 8, 2019.

Tags: