TUCSON, Ariz. — A new study from the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health suggests that long-lasting industrial chemicals known as PFAS, commonly found in firefighting gear and foam, may influence gene activity linked to cancer and other diseases.
Published in the journal “Environmental Research”, the study is one of the first to link PFAS exposure to changes in microRNAs (miRNAs), molecules that help regulate gene expression. Firefighters are often exposed to PFAS through their gear and work environment, which may contribute to their increased cancer risk.
“Firefighters tend to have higher PFAS levels due to their occupational exposures,” first author Melissa Furlong, PhD, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Zuckerman College of Public Health and a member of both the University of Arizona Cancer Center and the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research, said. “Gene activity can be affected by changes in the environment. We wanted to see the imprint of PFAS exposure on miRNAs and evaluate which ones might be associated with diseases.”
Researchers analyzed blood samples from 303 firefighters across six U.S. locations, measuring levels of nine types of PFAS and corresponding microRNA (miRNA) activity. They found that elevated levels of certain PFAS were linked to changes in specific miRNAs, which are associated with disease pathways involved in various cancers, neurological disorders, and autoimmune conditions.
Furlong’s team identified PFAS-related changes in miRNA associated with pathways involved in cancers, neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, and diseases including lupus and asthma. While the study didn’t show direct health outcomes, the findings suggest early biological changes that could help guide future prevention strategies.
Epigenetic changes, alterations that affect gene activity without changing the DNA sequence, have been a central focus of Dr. Jeff Burgess’s firefighter health research since 1992. His past studies linked these changes to cancer risk and supported classifying firefighting as carcinogenic.
“Firefighters have requested research on how their exposures lead to increased risk of cancer,” Burgess said. “Epigenetic markers provide a measure of cancer risk and can also be used to determine the effectiveness of interventions to reduce cancer risk.”
Furlong, Burgess, and their team are conducting long-term studies to explore disease prevention in firefighters. If PFAS impacts health through epigenetic changes, Furlong says miRNAs could be a modifiable target for future treatments.
The study included firefighters from cancer prevention studies and Tucson Fire Department, and is part of the broader Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study.
