Pre- and postnatal exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)
Hermann Fromme1, Christine Mosch, Maria Morovitz
1Department of Chemical Safety and Toxicology/Biomonitoring, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Pfarrstrasse 3, D-80538 Munich, Germany. hermann.fromme@lgl.bayern.de
Insights
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) like PFOS and PFOA were measured in maternal and infant blood and breast milk in Germany. Infant exposure increased after birth, with breast milk contributing to body burden.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Human Biomonitoring
Background:
- Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widely used industrial chemicals with known persistence.
- Human exposure to PFCs is a growing public health concern, particularly for vulnerable populations like pregnant women and infants.
- Understanding the transfer and accumulation of PFCs across the maternal-fetal-infant axis is crucial for risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify levels of key PFCs, specifically perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in maternal blood, cord blood, infant blood, and breast milk.
- To investigate the temporal trends and pathways of PFC exposure in infants from birth up to 19 months of age.
- To assess the contribution of breast milk to the overall body burden of PFCs in infants.
Main Methods:
- Maternal blood samples were collected during pregnancy and postpartum.
- Cord blood and infant blood samples were collected at birth and at 6 and 19 months postpartum.
- Breast milk samples were collected monthly.
- Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were determined using validated analytical methods (e.g., LC-MS/MS).
Main Results:
- Maternal serum concentrations of PFOS and PFOA ranged from 0.5-9.4 μg/L and 0.7-8.7 μg/L, respectively.
- Cord serum showed lower concentrations, ranging from 0.3-2.8 μg/L (PFOS) and 0.5-4.2 μg/L (PFOA).
- Infant serum concentrations increased over the first 19 months, with median PFOS at 3.0 μg/L (6 months) and 1.9 μg/L (19 months), and PFOA at 6.9 μg/L (6 months) and 4.6 μg/L (19 months).
- PFC concentrations in breast milk were generally low, but contributed to infant body burden, reaching levels similar to or higher than adults by 6 months of age.
Conclusions:
- Infants experience increasing exposure to PFCs after birth, with breast milk being a significant source.
- The study highlights the transfer of PFCs from mother to infant and the accumulation during early life.
- Findings underscore the need for monitoring PFC exposure in pregnant women and infants and for evaluating potential health risks associated with early-life exposure.
Abstract:
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are a group of chemicals widely used for many applications. In this study PFCs were investigated in maternal blood during pregnancy (at two time points) (n = 40 and 38) and 6 months after delivery (n = 47), in cord blood (n = 33) and in blood of infants six (n = 40) and nineteen months (n = 24) after birth, and monthly in breast milk samples in Germany. Concentrations in maternal serum ranged from 0.5 to 9.4 μg/L for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and 0.7 to 8.7 μg/L for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In cord serum, the values ranged from 0.3 to 2.8 μg/L and from 0.5 to 4.2 μg/L for PFOS and PFOA, respectively. The median results from serum at six and nineteen months of age were 3.0 and 1.9 μg/L for PFOS and 6.9 and 4.6 μg/L for PFOA, respectively. In breast milk samples, PFOS ranged from <0.03 to 0.11 μg/L (median: 0.04 μg/L), while PFOA was detected only in some samples as were all other PFCs. Overall, we found low levels of PFCs in cord sera and an increase in concentrations through the first months of infant life. Although the concentrations in breast milk were low, this intake led to a body burden at the age of six months similar to (PFOS) or higher than (PFOA) that found in adults.
