An analysis of nearly 300 umbilical cord blood
samples led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health shows that newborn babies are exposed to perfluorooctane
sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) while in the womb. PFOS
and PFOA are polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) - ubiquitous man-made
chemicals used in a variety of consumer products, including as a
protective coating on food-contact packaging, textiles and carpets,
and in the manufacturing of insecticides. The health impact from
exposure to these compounds is not fully known, but previous studies
found these compounds could cause tumors and developmental toxicity in
laboratory animals at doses much higher than those observed in the
Hopkins study.
The analysis conducted in Baltimore, Md., detected
PFOS in 99 percent of the infant samples examined and PFOA in 100
percent of those examined. The results are published in the April 20,
2007, online edition of the journal Environmental Science &
Technology. Some of the study’s findings were previously reported at
the Society of Toxicology workshop held in February and at the
International Conference on Environmental Epidemiology and Exposure
held last September.
"When we began this research we weren’t sure what
we would find, because previously there was very little information
about fetal exposure to PFOS and PFOA. Even though these chemicals are
not bioaccumulative in fat, they are very persistent, which probably
accounts for their presence in nearly every newborn," said Benjamin
Apelberg, PhD, lead author of the study and a research associate in
the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology.
Apelberg conducted this work as part of his doctoral research.
The researchers analyzed cord serum from 299
newborns delivered at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore between 2004
and 2005. The samples were tested for the presence of PFOS and PFOA
and eight other polyfluoroalkyl compounds. PFOA was detected in all of
the samples and PFOS in all but two of the samples. The concentrations
for both compounds were lower than those typically detected in adults
in the United States and lower than those known to cause tumors and
developmental problems in laboratory animals; more study is needed to
understand health effects at these lower exposure levels.
PFOS concentrations were slightly higher in Black
and Asian infants compared to White infants, but no correlation was
found between concentrations and the mother’s socioeconomic status,
age, education, marital status or whether she lived within the city
limits or not. In addition, the researchers found a strong correlation
between concentrations of PFOS and PFOA even though the compounds come
from different industrial sources. The finding suggests that humans
may be exposed to both chemicals in a similar manner.
"This study confirms that, as we might have
suspected, exposure to PFOS and PFOA is fairly universal; this is of
particular concern because of the potential toxicity, especially
developmental toxicity, for these chemicals and the lack of
information about health risks at these exposure levels. What was
surprising is how strongly they are associated with each other, given
that they have very different uses. We will need additional research
to understand how exposures are occurring in this region," said Lynn
Goldman, MD, co-author of the study and a professor in the Department
of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
of Public Health.
The research was supported by funding from the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Maryland Mothers
and Babies Study, the Cigarette Restitution Fund, Johns Hopkins
Medical Institutions, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
and the Heinz Foundation.
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