A common 'forever chemical' known as PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) has been linked to liver cancer in humans in a worrying new study.

Once a key ingredient in the water-repelling product commercially known as Scotchguard, PFOS was finally phased out soon after the turn of the century following concerns over its toxicity and environmental impact.

Still, it didn't earn its label of 'forever chemical' for nothing, with environmental levels of this and closely related substances remaining alarmingly high around the globe.

Now a study by researchers from the University of Southern California and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the US have confirmed an association between PFOS and the development of a particularly deadly form of liver cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for more than four out of five cases of liver cancer in the world. With a five-year survival rate of less than 20 percent, it's also regarded as one of the most deadly of cancers any of us could get.

Although the total incidence of HCC has declined over the past decade in the wake of dropping hepatitis infections, a rise in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – a condition exacerbated by obesity and high cholesterol – could confound efforts to keep cases down.

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