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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Plasma Concentrations and Bone Mineral Density in Midchildhood: A Cross-Sectional

Rachel Cluett1, Shravanthi M Seshasayee2, Lisa B Rokoff3

  • 1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Environmental Health Perspectives
|August 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Childhood exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may negatively impact bone development. Higher PFAS levels were associated with lower bone mineral density in children, potentially affecting lifelong skeletal health.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Bone Metabolism

Background:

  • Childhood bone accrual is crucial for preventing osteoporosis later in life.
  • Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exposure is linked to reduced bone mineral density, but data in children are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between PFAS exposure and bone mineral density in children.
  • To identify specific PFASs and their mixture effects on childhood bone accrual.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 576 mother/child pairs from the Project Viva cohort.
  • Measured plasma PFAS concentrations and bone mineral density (aBMD) using DXA in midchildhood.
  • Employed linear and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Higher plasma concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorodecanoate (PFDA) were associated with lower aBMD z-scores.
  • The PFAS mixture was negatively associated with aBMD z-score in children.

Conclusions:

  • PFAS exposure in childhood may impair bone accrual and peak bone mass.
  • Findings highlight potential risks of PFASs for long-term skeletal health.
Abstract

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