Could a chemical used in the manufacture of stain-resistant fabrics and carpets make people more susceptible to allergies? Perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA), also used to make all-weather clothing and non-stick surfaces, has already been identified as a “likely” human carcinogen by an advisory panel to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Now Jean Meade and colleagues at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, West Virginia, have shown that in mice at least, it may prime the immune system to overreact to allergens.
Animals given PFOA before being exposed to an egg allergen produced more allergen-specific antibodies and experienced…
