Pancreatic cancer - PFAS exposure Jones Act & FELA claims

Exposure to PFOA is associated with the development of malignant pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. The lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer is 1 in 64. Timely diagnosis is crucial when it comes to pancreatic cancer, as even when detected in the early phase, the five-year survival rate is just 42%.

If cancer spreads to distant organs in the body, it drops to a grim 3%. Consequently, workers who were exposed to PFAS should look out for the signs of pancreatic cancer to be on the safe side, which include:

• abdominal pain radiating to the back
• yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
• light-colored stools and dark urine
• unintentional weight loss
• new diagnosis of diabetes
• itchy skin and blood clots
• fatigue and loss of appetite
• preexisting diabetes that is difficult to control
• loss of appetite

Out of the 9,000 chemicals known as PFAS, it was found that PFOA can lead to the development and progression of pancreatic cancer in people who have it in their bloodstream. Furthermore, PFOA exposure causes oxidative stress in the pancreas, which can eventually trigger cancer. When this dangerous chemical is the culprit behind pancreatic cancer, the mutation of the KRAS gene occurs, which has been identified as a key mutational event in pancreatic cancer initiation. Continued exposure to PFOA drives the progression stage, in which full malignancy is acquired.

It is important to note that PFOA exposure resulted in a high incidence of pancreatic acinar cell tumors in rats through an undefined mechanism. While the chemical is not a direct mutagen, it was found to cause oxidative stress and inflammation in both animal and human studies, which precede cancer. Therefore, PFOA itself does not function as an initiator of carcinogenesis, but it facilitates the development of pancreatic cancer. In maritime and railroad workplaces, the main source of PFAS is the use of AFFF by firefighters and emergency response personnel, which contains between 50% and 98% of these chemicals.

If you worked as a maritime worker or railroad employee and were exposed to PFAS or other toxic substances and developed pancreatic cancer, you might be eligible to file a Jones Act or FELA claim. Pancreatic cancer has a latency of 10 years when it is caused by PFAS exposure.