BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 14, 2022
PFAS — also called “forever chemicals” because of how slowly they break down in the environment — have been linked to another health concern for women. Middle-aged women with higher blood concentrations of seven of the most commonly detected PFAS are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study released by the American Heart Association. This is the latest development in how PFAS harm people who ingest them. Previously, PFAS had already been linked to liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer. Maine is reckoning with PFAS contamination in everything from drinking water and farm soil to freshwater fish and wild deer.