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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Twin Growth Discordance: New Insights from a Twin Birth Cohort Study

Pan Yang1,2,3, Songyi Huang1, Jiehao Li1

  • 1Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

Environmental Science & Technology
|January 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) impacts twin growth differences. Higher PFAS levels correlate with greater birth weight and height disparities between twins, particularly affecting smaller fetuses.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Reproductive Toxicology
  • Perinatal Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is linked to adverse fetal outcomes.
  • Existing research primarily focuses on singleton pregnancies, leaving the impact on twin development understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal PFAS exposure and within-pair growth and developmental differences in twins.
  • To identify specific PFASs contributing to these disparities.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of maternal serum from three trimesters and cord serum from 162 twin pairs.
  • Quantification of 19 different PFASs.
  • Statistical assessment of PFAS exposure and within-pair differences in birth weight and height.

Main Results:

  • Significant positive associations were found between selected PFASs and within-pair birth weight/height differences.
  • Maternal perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure increased within-pair birth weight differences by 40.57%.
  • The impact of PFASs was more pronounced in smaller fetuses and differed between dizygotic (DZ) and monozygotic (MZ) twins, with greater effects observed in DZ twins.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides novel epidemiological evidence that prenatal PFAS exposure influences within-pair growth and developmental differences in twins.
  • PFAS mixtures, with PFOA, PFDA, PFOS, and PFNA as major contributors, are associated with these disparities.

Keywords:
PFASsmaternal and fetal exposuremonozygotic and dizygotictwin studywithin-pair growth difference

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