Dental Floss May Expose People To Toxic Chemicals, Study Finds

NEWTON, MA — Using certain types of dental floss may contribute to higher levels of toxic chemicals linked to heart disease, fertility issues and cancer, according to a new study.

Women who said they flossed with Oral-B Glide floss had higher levels of a PFAS in their blood than those who didn’t, researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

“This is the first study to show that using dental floss containing PFAS is associated with a higher body burden of these toxic chemicals,” lead author Katie Boronow, a scientist at Silent Spring in Newton said in a statement. “The good news is, based on our findings, consumers can choose flosses that don’t contain PFAS.”

The class of chemicals called PFAS are found in consumer products ranging from nonstick pans to waterproof clothing to the containers fast food restaurants put your fries in.

PFAS are water- and grease-proof substances that have been linked with a number of health problems and can stick around in your body and the environment for years. The findings provide insight into how these chemicals end up in people’s bodies and how people can limit their exposures by modifying their behavior, according to a release.

In the study, researchers measured 11 different PFAS chemicals in blood samples taken from 178 middle-aged women enrolled in the Public Health Institute’s Child Health and Development Studies.

The researchers compared the blood measurements with results from interviews in which they asked the women about nine behaviors that might lead to higher exposure of the toxins. Half of the women in the analysis were non-Hispanic white and half were African American.

The researchers found that certain types of dental floss contained fluorine, which they said indicated the presence of PFAS compounds.

The researchers tested 18 dental flosses, including 3 Glide products, for the presence of fluorine—a marker of PFAS. Only six showed signs of it: All three Glide products tested positive for fluorine. Two store-brand flosses that included labels that said “compare to Oral-B Glide” and one that advertised itself as a “single strand Teflon fiber” tested positive for fluorine.

A spokesperson for Oral-B dental said the company stands behind the floss.

"We have confirmed none of the substances in the report are intentionally used in our dental floss. The safety of the people who use our products is our top priority. We stand behind the safety of all our products," said a spokesperson in an email to Patch.

The spokesperson did not say whether there was a plan in the works to review the way the floss is manufactured.

More to consider:

Having stain-resistant carpet or furniture and living in a city served by a PFAS-contaminated drinking water supply, also contributed to higher PFAS in a person, according to the study.

Researchers also found African-American women who frequently ate prepared food in coated cardboard containers, such as French fries or takeout, had elevated blood levels of four PFAS chemicals compared to non-Hispanic white women who ate the food, or African-American women who rarely ate the food.

Overall, non-Hispanic whites tended to have higher levels of two PFAS chemicals, PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFHxS, compared with African Americans.

The researchers could not explain the differences, suggesting that there are other behaviors they didn’t measure that contribute to PFAS exposure.

“Overall, this study strengthens the evidence that consumer products are an important source of PFAS exposure,” Boronow said. “Restricting these chemicals from products should be a priority to reduce levels in people’s bodies.”

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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff