Dental floss: Is it more harmful or beneficial?

Using some types of dental floss may contribute to elevated levels of toxic chemicals in the body which can lead to numerous health problems, a study claims.

The findings, provide new insight into how these chemicals end up in people's bodies and how consumers can limit their exposures by modifying their behaviour.

The study has linked Oral-B Glide dental floss to toxic Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). PFAS are water- and grease-proof substances that have been linked with cancer, thyroid disease and fertility disorders, said researchers. PFAS are used in a range of consumer products, including fast food packaging, non-stick pans, waterproof clothing, and stain-resistant carpets.

People can be exposed to the substances directly through the products they use and the food they eat. They can also be exposed through indoor air and dust and contaminated drinking water.

Scientists are concerned about widespread exposure to PFAS in the population because the chemicals have been linked with health effects including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low birth weight, decreased fertility, and effects on the immune system.

Researchers measured 11 different PFAS chemicals in blood samples taken from 178 middle-aged women enrolled in the studies, a multi-generational study of the impact of environmental chemicals and other factors on disease. Half of the women in the analysis were non-Hispanic white and half were African American.

To understand how people's behaviour influences their exposure to PFAS, the researchers then compared the blood measurements with results from interviews in which they asked the women about nine behaviours that could lead to higher exposures.

Women who flossed with Oral-B Glide tended to have higher levels of a type of PFAS called PFHxS (perfluorohexanesulfonic acid) in their body compared with those who didn't.

To further understand the connection, the researchers tested 18 dental flosses (including 3 Glide products) for the presence of fluorine—a marker of PFAS—using a technique called particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy.

All three Glide products tested positive for fluorine, consistent with previous reports that Glide is manufactured using Teflon-like compounds.

In addition, two store brand flosses with "compare to Oral-B Glide" labelling and one floss describing itself as a "single strand Teflon fibre" tested positive for fluorine.

"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 a scientist.

"The good news is, based on our findings, consumers can choose flosses that don't contain PFAS," he said.

Other behaviours that were associated with higher PFAS levels included having stain-resistant carpet or furniture and living in a city served by a PFAS-contaminated drinking water supply.

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Fast-Food Wrappers Contaminated with Toxins Can Now Be Traced

The harmful effects of junk food is no hidden secret. But did you know that even the wrappers in which they are wrapped can put you at health risk? A shocking report that did the rounds in February revealed that most fast food packaging materials contained toxic chemicals that were contaminating the food we were consuming. It particularly highlighted greaseproof papers, which contained more than two dozen highly fluorinated chemicals, including phased-out substances, which may lead to developmental problems in children, decreased fertility and an increased risk of cancer. The question on everyone's mind was how to prevent the harmful health effects of consuming junk food. Now researchers from University of Alabama and the University of Notre Dame seem to have come up with a solution.

The scientists have found a new technique by which one can trace hazardous chemicals from fast food wrappers (bread, desserts, burgers and pizzas) that enter the human body. The technique enables researchers to radiolabel three forms of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and track the fate of these chemicals when they enter the body.

This announcement comes as a good surprise, leaving many hopeful in identifying and tracking toxic substances, particularly PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as PFCs, that come mostly from older, recycled materials or other undetermined sources. They are known to be harmful to the human body and were found to be used extensively in fast-food wrapping paper at many popular chain restaurants.

Tracing PFAS compounds is a difficult task. In the newly designed method, the scientists tried to do so by using radio tracers. One of the fluorine atoms on the PFAS molecule was replaced with a radioactive form of fluorine, the same radioisotope fluorine-18 that is used for medical positron emission tomography scans in hospitals around the world.

"For the first time, we have a PFAS tracer or chemical that we have tagged to see where it goes in mice," said senior author Suzanne Lapi. "Each of the tracers exhibited some degree of uptake in all of the organs and tissues of interest that were tested, including the brain. The highest uptake was observed in the liver and stomach, and similar amounts were observed in the femur and lungs."

Exposure to PFASs is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, decreased fertility, and thyroid problems in adults. In children, it is said to have adverse effects on growth, learning and behaviour and decreased immune response to vaccines.

PFASs are also found in stain-resistant products, firefighting materials and nonstick cookware. They tend to easily contaminate the food.

"We are very excited about this technique, which borrows from our current work developing nuclear medicine imaging agents," said first author Jennifer Burkemper. "This work can enable rapid screening of PFAS compounds to gain key insights into their biological fate."

The study was published in the Journal of Environment Science and Technology.
 

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