Does GenX in water hurt mouse livers?
GenX caused liver injury and potential hepatocellular carcinoma of mice via drinking water even at environmental concentration.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice drank water with a chemical called GenX, even in tiny amounts like what's found in the environment, and their livers got hurt. The liver showed signs of damage, swelling, fat buildup, and early signs of cancer.
Surprising Findings
Liver tumor markers increased even at 0.1 μg/L, the lowest environmental dose tested.
Typically, toxic effects are expected only at higher exposures, but here, cancer-linked markers rose at levels comparable to real-world contamination.
Practical Takeaways
Consider using a water filter certified to remove PFAS chemicals, including GenX, especially if you live near industrial areas or contaminated water sources.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice drank water with a chemical called GenX, even in tiny amounts like what's found in the environment, and their livers got hurt. The liver showed signs of damage, swelling, fat buildup, and early signs of cancer.
Surprising Findings
Liver tumor markers increased even at 0.1 μg/L, the lowest environmental dose tested.
Typically, toxic effects are expected only at higher exposures, but here, cancer-linked markers rose at levels comparable to real-world contamination.
Practical Takeaways
Consider using a water filter certified to remove PFAS chemicals, including GenX, especially if you live near industrial areas or contaminated water sources.
Publication
Journal
Environmental pollution
Year
2024
Authors
G. Wan, Zengli Zhang, Jingsi Chen, Mei Li, Jiafu Li
Related Content
Claims (5)
In male mice, drinking water with very small amounts of a chemical called GenX for about three and a half months led to signs of liver damage, like higher levels of certain blood markers, and the more GenX they were exposed to, the worse the effects seemed.
In male mice, drinking water with a chemical called GenX for 14 weeks led to higher levels of liver cancer warning signs, and the more GenX they drank, the worse the signs got—even at low levels found in the environment.
This chemical called Gen X might cause liver, pancreas, and testicle tumors in lab animals, just like another harmful chemical people used to use.
In male mice, drinking water with low levels of a chemical called GenX for about 3 months led to signs of liver damage, like swelling, scarring, and unhealthy changes in liver cells.
In male mice, drinking water with a chemical called GenX for 14 weeks was linked to higher activity of certain genes in the liver that are tied to inflammation, cell growth, and scarring — and the more GenX they drank, the stronger the effect.