Exposure to common chemicals found in many detergents can triple the risk of liver fibrosis

Liver disease is an umbrella term that includes all pathologies that affect the liver and is currently responsible for approximately 4% of annual deaths worldwide. Among the various conditions, the most common are: fatty liver disease It is associated with metabolic dysfunction (MASLD) and can lead to more severe complications such as liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

some have been identified Important risk factors Symptoms of MASLD, including the use of certain prescription drugs, conditions such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome, or lifestyle issues such as smoking, lack of exercise, or an unhealthy diet. Now, a new study has found that exposure to a common chemical called tetrachlorethylene (PCE), found in many dry cleaning products and household products, can triple the risk of liver fibrosis.

Triple risk of liver fibrosis

As explained by the authors of this study in a scientific environment liver international, To reach this conclusion, they analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2017 to 2020. Over 1,600 adults. Specifically, blood PCE levels and liver fibrosis diagnosis were considered.

In this way, we found that approximately 7% of participants had the following symptoms: Detectable levels of PCE in the bloodAnd these people were three times more likely to be diagnosed with liver fibrosis than those who had no chemicals detected in their blood.

The researchers found that when PCE is metabolized in the liver, its metabolites (chemicals produced by its activity) react with liver cells and break down lipids present in cell membranes. This starts a chain reaction, inflammation and scarringwhich is a pathological feature of liver fibrosis.

Dose-dependent relationship

In fact, the presence of PCE in the blood Risk of liver fibrosis was dose-dependentThis provides robustness to the theory that chemicals cause disease against other types of correlations.

In light of this new evidence, scientists say these results are: Moving on to screening strategies This will aid in early detection of liver disease and environmental policies to prevent the condition and protect people from exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

You should consider that the PCE is located in: Household items such as gluebrake cleaners, metal degreasers, stripping agents, silicone lubricants or waterproofing agents have been linked not only to the risk of developing liver disease, but also to kidney disease, neurotoxicity, or certain types of cancer, such as bladder cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

References

Inan Hsu, Jennifer L. Dodge, Brian P. Lee. Tetrachlorethylene is associated with the presence of severe liver fibrosis: a national cross-sectional study of US adults. liver international (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.70398

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