Association between outdoor clothing use and serum perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Korean National Environmental...

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in various products, and PFAS have been detected in outdoor clothing. PFAS can be absorbed into the human body via oral ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. In this study, we examined the association between the frequency of using outdoor clothing and serum PFAS concentrations in the Korean population using data from cycle 4 (2018-2020) of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey.

Data from 2,993 adult participants were analyzed. The participants were classified into low-concentration and high-concentration groups based on the 75th percentile concentration of serum PFAS. The use of outdoor clothing was categorized into three groups: non-use, <4 times a week, and ≥4 times a week. The odds ratio (OR) for serum PFAS levels associated with use of outdoor clothing was determined through logistic regression analysis, adjusted for demographic characteristics, health-related factors, PFAS-treated items, dietary factors, and ventilation time.

ORs for high serum PFAS were higher in groups using outdoor clothing compared to the non-user group. In males, the adjusted ORs for the < 4 times a week and ≥ 4 times a week outdoor clothing usage group were as follows: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-1.44) and 1.70 (1.40-2.07); perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), 1.49 (1.16-1.92) and 1.70 (1.22-2.37); and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), 1.34 (1.19-1.51) and 1.68 (1.38-2.05), respectively. In females, the respective ORs were as follows: PFOA 1.32 (95% CI: 1.19-1.46) and 1.53 (1.01-2.32); PFHxS, 1.46 (1.08-1.96) and 2.63 (2.10-3.29); PFNA, 1.38 (1.22-1.55) and 1.45 (1.07-1.96).

In adults, elevated serum PFAS levels were associated with increased frequency of using outdoor clothing.