Exposure to ‘Forever Chemicals’ May Weaken Bones as People Age

About two million bone fractures occur each year in the U.S. due to weakened or osteoporotic bones, incurring an estimated healthcare cost of $17 billion. "As our population ages, low bone-mineral density has a huge impact on population health," Reeves says. "Once individuals have a fracture as they age, it often unfortunately leads to other subsequent negative health outcomes."

Bone is continually remodeling; it gets broken down and then it rebuilds. "So there is a lot of opportunity for chemicals to interfere with that very delicate balancing act of breaking down and rebuilding bone," Reeves says.

In addition, bone-mineral density naturally declines with age. "But there have been some human studies suggesting that people with higher exposure to certain PFAS chemicals actually experience a more rapid decline in their bone-mineral density than those with lower exposure," Reeves says.

She points to a study in Sweden that found a higher-than-anticipated risk of fracture among people living in an area with known PFAS contamination. Reeves hopes to "close a gap in the literature in terms of high-quality, prospective studies that could look at the whole spectrum of bone health."

The research team will measure the levels of up to 25 different PFAS chemicals in blood serum samples and perform an in-depth study of bone loss and fractures, using data and biospecimens from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF).

"We're going to be able to look at fracture risk. And we'll also look at the rate of bone-mineral density change, as well as some biomarkers that are known to be related to bone formation and also bone resorption, or breaking down," Reeves says.

Finally, Reeves will validate her team's findings using data from a third aging cohort that has better racial diversity - in fact, an equal number of Caucasian and African American participants. This robust, multilayer investigation will provide the clearest picture to date of the impact of PFAS on bone health.

"It's a really important health condition that we should be paying attention to," Reeves says. "And we're hoping that this study will inform efforts to regulate these chemicals and also help us to understand ways that we could potentially intervene in populations that are known to have high exposure to these chemicals."