Exposure to pervasive and toxic forever chemicals called “PFAS” appears to be aging men in their 50s and early 60s faster than other male age groups, according to a new analysis.
Data from more than 300 Americans revealed a link between exposure to PFAS – more than 14,000 chemicals that have been produced in the U.S. since the 1950s – and accelerated epigenetic aging in men between the ages of 50 and 65 years old.
Epigenetic aging is a measure of biological age, including the health of the body’s cells and tissue. Faster epigenetic aging can mean an increased risk of cancer, dementia and cardiovascular disease, as well as premature death.
The researchers don’t directly address why this group is disproportionately affected by epigenetic aging, but suggest that the mid-life period marks a “critical window” for aging driven by PFAS.
“Midlife is characterized by the onset of multiple age-related conditions including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders and early tissue degeneration, making it a sensitive stage when environmental toxicants may disproportionately influence biological aging,” the study notes.
For younger men and women, the ties between PFAS exposure and epigenetic aging were weaker, study author Xiangwei Li, a professor of epidemiology at China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, told CNN.
“In younger men and those over 65, the associations were weaker and generally not statistically significant,” he said. “We observed some associations in women, but they were generally smaller and less consistent than those seen in middle-aged men.”
The study included data collected from 326 men and women, aged 50 and older, who were a part of the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The survey has been conducted annually since 1999 on about 5,000 adults and children across the U.S. and has helped researchers determine how eating ultra-processed food raises heart disease risk and how poor sleep may be linked to nearly 200 diseases.
It has also been used in previous research about health impacts from PFAS, showing the chemicals in blood levels in the U.S. since 1999.
Previous research has shown that 98 percent of Americans have been exposed to the manmade chemicals, which take years to break down and are found in tires, bottled water, rain coats, pizza boxes and dozens of other products.
They’re also found in bodies of water and rainwater, and at least 45 percent of U.S. drinking water contains detectable levels, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Exposure to PFAS at any age comes with concerning health impacts, such as an increased risk of several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, high cholesterol and a reduced immune response to vaccines.
Communities exposed to drinking water contaminated with PFAS experience a 33 percent higher rate of digestive, endocrine, respiratory, and mouth and throat cancers, a study from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine showed. A 2025 study from New York’s University of Rochester Medical Center showed PFAS impact the developing male brain.
But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has weakened regulations aimed at curbing exposure to PFAS since President Donald Trump took office last year.
On Thursday, a new survey of more than 5,300 U.S. adults found 83 percent of adults want the government to do more to protect them from harmful chemicals.
