The Association Between Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Lipids in Cord Blood

Abstract

Introduction Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were among various persistent organic pollutants suspected to have been released during the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11/2001. Evidence suggests that PFAS may have cardiometabolic effects, including alterations in lipid profiles. This study evaluated the association between cord blood PFAS and lipids in a population prenatally exposed to the WTC disaster. Study Population 222 pregnant women in the Columbia University WTC birth cohort enrolled between December 13, 2001 and June 26, 2002 at hospitals located near the WTC site: Beth Israel, St. Vincent’s, and New York University Downtown. Methods We evaluated the association between 5 cord blood PFAS—perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecane sulfonate (PFDS)—and cord blood lipids (total lipids, total cholesterol, triglycerides). Results Median (interquartile range [IQR]) concentrations of PFAS were 6.32 (4.58–8.57), 2.46 (1.77–3.24), 0.38 (0.25–0.74), 0.66 (0.48–0.95) and 0.11 (0.09–0.16) ng/mL for PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, and PFDS, respectively. Median (IQR) for lipids were 59.0 (51.5–68.5) mg/dL for total cholesterol, 196.5 (170.5–221.2) mg/dL for total lipids and 33.1 (24.2–43.9) mg/dL for triglycerides. In fully adjusted models, several PFAS were associated with higher lipid levels, including evidence of a strong linear trend between triglycerides and both PFOA and PFHxS. Conclusions Findings support previous evidence of an association between PFAS exposure and altered lipid profiles and add novel information on this relationship in cord blood, as well as for an understudied PFAS, PFDS (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 105: 43–54, 2020).

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems: Environmental Exposure and Human Health Risks

“…Different PFAS have been found in maternal blood and cord blood, indicating placental transmission [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]. Maternal exposure to PFAS is widespread, with detectable levels found in serum in 98% of studied pregnant women in one study [ 61 ].…”

World Trade Center Health Program: First Decade of Research

“…Most studies evaluated health effects (primarily neurodevelopment and cognitive effects) from prenatal exposures to chemicals and persistent organic pollutants. Prenatal chemical exposures included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [ 81 , 82 , 83 ], perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) [ 84 , 85 , 86 ], mercury [ 80 ], and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) [ 87 , 88 ].…”

“…Exposure to several PFAS prenatally have been associated with higher lipid levels and triglycerides in maternal and cord blood [ 90 ]. Increasing concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been associated with higher total lipids ( p -trend = 0.03) [ 85 , 91 ]. Similarly, PFOA has been associated with higher triglyceride levels, but no association was found for total cholesterol [ 85 , 92 ].…”

“…Increasing concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been associated with higher total lipids ( p -trend = 0.03) [ 85 , 91 ]. Similarly, PFOA has been associated with higher triglyceride levels, but no association was found for total cholesterol [ 85 , 92 ]. Studies evaluating the relationship between prenatal PFAS exposure and cognition in non-WTC populations have yielded inconsistent findings, showing there is a complex relationship between PFAS and neurodevelopment [ 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ].…”

“…Lederman et al, 2008 found an association between higher cord blood mercury and reduced PDI scores at 26 and 48 months old among the offspring of pregnant women who were living or working within 2 miles of the WTC site, after adjusting for fish and seafood consumption during pregnancy [ 85 ]. Cowell et al, 2015 detected four PBDE congeners in more than 50% of cord blood samples collected from pregnant women followed for 7 years after giving birth [ 85 , 92 ]. Of seven PBDE congeners evaluated in this study, two were associated with increased attention problems among children at age 4.…”