An environmental group in Taiwan yesterday urged the government to reassess the health risks of cosmetics and band-aid products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Taiwan Watch Institute made the call following a new UK study confirming that a wide range of PFAS used in consumer products can be absorbed through human skin.
The research, conducted by the University of Birmingham and published in Environment International, tested 17 types of advanced 3D human skin models that mimic the properties of normal human skin and found 15 types of PFAS seeped into the skin model within 36 hours.
Photo: Taipei Times file
The shorter the chemical’s carbon chains, the easier it is absorbed into the skin, the research showed. The newer, shorter-chained chemicals called perfluoropentanoic acid, was absorbed into the skin at four times the rate of perfluorooctanoic acid, at 59 percent.
The research revealed important new findings, including that PFAS can enter the body via food or drinking water and by absorption through the skin, and that the absorption rate is higher than expected, institute secretary-general Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖) said.
The chemical structures of PFAS are not entirely water or oil-resistant, as their hydrophilic functional groups can be absorbed by the skin, Hsieh said.
Another important finding is that PFAS with shorter carbon chains absorbed into the skin more easily, he said.
PFAS with longer chains had been banned or limited, and there has been a shift toward chemicals with shorter chain lengths, because they were believed to be less toxic. However, the research shows that the trade-off might be that people absorb more of them, he said.
On the other hand, although PFAS with longer chains have lower absorption rates, they might remain in the skin tissue for longer periods of time, Hsieh said.
Hsieh also said many clothing, cosmetics, band-aids and other medical devices that have water or oil-resistant properties might contain PFAS, and urged the government to conduct health reassessments on products that have direct contact with skin.
The government can also ask manufacturers to disclose whether their product contains PFAs, as other countries do, he said, adding that the government can also order products be made with alternative chemicals instead of PFAS to reduce health risks.
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