Pregnancy complications and birth outcomes following low-level exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the vitamin D antenatal asthma reduction trial.
Sofina BegumNicole PrinceLidia Mínguez-AlarcónYulu ChenDjøra I SoetemanVrushali FangalMengna HuangCraig WheelockKevin MendezAugusto A LitonjuaScott T WeissJessica Lasky-SuRachel S KellyPublished in: Environmental science. Advances (2024)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic, highly fluorinated aliphatic compounds, commonly utilised in a wide variety of consumer products with diverse applications. Since the genesis of these compounds, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated adverse health effects associated with PFAS exposure. In a racially diverse cohort of 459 pregnant mothers, demographically weighted towards minority representation (black 44.4%, white 38.4%, other 17.2%), across three major populous cities of the US, PFAS profiling was performed. Nine distinct PFAS species were quantified using mass spectrometry in plasma samples collected during the third trimester. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to interrogate the associations of PFAS with gestational and birth outcomes: gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, gestational age at delivery, low birth weight, birth weight-, birth length- and head circumference-for-gestational-age. Detectable levels for eight out of nine profiled PFAS species were found in the plasma of pregnant mothers with a median range of 0.1-2.70 ng ml -1 . Using a mixtures approach, we observe that increased quantile-based g-computation (Qg-comp) "total" PFAS levels were associated with increased newborn birth-weight-for-gestational-age ( β 1.28; 95% CI 1.07-1.52; FDR p 0.006). In study centre-stratified analyses, we observed a similar trend in Boston pregnant mothers, with Qg-comp total PFAS associated with higher newborn birth-weight-for-gestational-age ( β 1.39; 95% CI 1.01-1.92, FDR p 0.05). We additionally found elevated PFUA concentrations were associated with longer gestational terms in San Diego pregnant mothers ( β 0.60; 95% CI 0.18-1.02, FDR p 0.05). In this multi-city study, we detected lower levels of PFAS than in many previous US environmental studies, concordant with current US trends indicating environmental PFAS levels are falling, and we note geographical variation in the associations between PFAS levels and birth outcomes.
Keyphrases
- gestational age
- birth weight
- preterm birth
- low birth weight
- pregnant women
- mass spectrometry
- human milk
- weight gain
- preterm infants
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- clinical trial
- magnetic resonance imaging
- body mass index
- healthcare
- pregnancy outcomes
- emergency department
- drinking water
- randomized controlled trial
- risk factors
- human health
- single cell
- adipose tissue
- high performance liquid chromatography
- ionic liquid
- health information
- phase ii
- optical coherence tomography