CONSUMPTION OF PFAS IN DRINKING WATER SHOWN TO BRING ON MENOPAUSE SOONER

APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL prides itself on staying current with changing testing protocols and regulations for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  As a company, we recognize how rapidly research is informing policies to protect public health. 

In our latest correspondence with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), we have been advised to use SW-846 Method 8327, recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which is designed to measure 24 PFAS compounds in groundwater, surface water, and wastewater samples, and American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D7979, the standard method for determining PFAS in Water, Sludge, influent and effluent, and wastewater.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

The linked article reports on the University of Michigan study of a 17-year-long prospective cohort of 1,120 midlife women.  Samples of blood showing higher levels of PFAS in participants revealed that menopause was reached two years earlier than in participants with lower levels of blood PFAS content.  According to Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., MPH, one of the authors of the study, “Even menopause a few years earlier than usual could have a significant impact on cardiovascular health, bone health and quality of life, and overall health in general among women[...]”.