Whites have three times higher blood serum levels of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) than Hispanics and two times higher levels than blacks, according to a study scheduled for publication in the April 1 issue of the American Chemical Society's journal, Environmental Science & Technology.
The study, by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, is the first to detect racial or ethnic differences in levels of PFCs among humans.
PFCs are widely found at low levels in people and at higher levels are suspected of promoting cancer and other health problems in laboratory animals, according to the CDC researchers.
The CDC research team, led by Antonia Calafat, Ph.D., looked for selected PFCs in 54 aggregated blood samples that were collected in 2001 and 2002 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Each aggregated sample contained serum from 34 people, grouped by race, gender and age. Men in all three racial groups had slightly higher blood levels of PFCs than women. Non-Hispanic white males had the highest blood serum levels of most PFCs. However, the CDC team found age had no influence on blood concentrations of these compounds.