Antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines among workers with a wide range of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Porter, Anna K.; Kleinschmidt, Sarah; Andres, Kara L.; Reusch, Courtney N.; Krisko, Ryan M.; Taiwo, Oyebode A.; Olsen, Geary W.; Longnecker, Matthew P.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107537

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The precision and specificity of studying individual PFAS blood concentrations and response to vaccine, as we have reported here, is more informative for understanding the potential adverse effects of PFAS on immunologic defenses to COVID-19. A recently published study [ 28 ] has described antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines among industrial workers with PFAS exposure and reported small associations between antibody levels and PFAS concentrations. It will likely be relevant to understand what impact the differences between that population and ours has on the results observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While our method was useful for quantifying the anti-S antibody response to vaccine, the study did not include infection as an outcome and was not a study of vaccine efficacy. Binding antibodies, as measured by the ELISA assay used in this study, have been shown to correlate well with neutralizing antibody to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 which is the basis for the vaccines studied here [ 28 ]. However, the correlation between binding and neutralizing antibodies against to SARS-CoV-2 variants is unclear overall, and likely particularly low for Omicron-descendent viruses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although serum PFAS concentrations have been associated with reduced antibody response following routine immunizations (e.g., diphtheria [ 21 – 24 ] and tetanus [ 22 , 23 ]) among children, studies among adult populations receiving vaccinations have yielded less consistent findings, which may depend upon the type of vaccination studied [ 23 , 25 – 27 ]. To our knowledge, only one study to-date has examined the relationship between individual serum PFAS concentration and the humoral immune response to vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 specifically, and did so in an occupationally exposed population, showing small inverse trends [ 28 ]. Governmental agencies and the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have stated the literature from adult populations is moderate or sufficient to conclude that PFAS alters antibody response to vaccination, in general [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in a population with a history of elevated exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water

Bailey,

Wang,

McDonald

et al. 2023

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been linked to lower vaccine-induced antibody concentrations in children, while data from adults remains limited and equivocal. Characteristics of PFAS exposure and age at vaccination may modify such effects. Objective We used the mass administration of novel COVID-19 vaccines to test the hypothesis that prior exposure to environmentally-relevant concentrations of PFAS affect antibody response to vaccines in adolescents and adults. Methods Between April and June 2021, 226 participants aged 12–90 years with a history of exposure to PFAS in drinking water and who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine participated in our prospective cohort study. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (IgG) were quantified before the first and second vaccine doses and again at two follow-ups in the following months (up to 103 days post dose 1). Serum PFAS concentrations (n = 39 individual PFAS) were measured once for each participant during baseline, before their first vaccination. The association between PFAS exposure and immune response to vaccination was investigated using linear regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models with adjustment for covariates that affect antibody response. PFAS mixture effects were assessed using weighted quantile sum and Bayesian kernel machine regression methods. Results The geometric mean (standard deviation) of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid serum concentrations in this population was 10.49 (3.22) and 3.90 (4.90) µg/L, respectively. PFAS concentrations were not associated with peak anti-spike antibody response, the initial increase in anti-spike antibody response following vaccination, or the waning over time of the anti-spike antibody response. Neither individual PFAS concentrations nor their evaluation as a mixture was associated with antibody response to mRNA vaccination against COVID-19. Impact statement Given the importance of understanding vaccine response among populations exposed to environmental contaminants and the current gaps in understanding this relationship outside of early life/childhood vaccinations, our manuscript contributes meaningful data from an adolescent and adult population receiving a novel vaccination.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in a population with a history of elevated exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water

Bailey,

Wang,

McDonald

et al. 2023

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As noted above, a longitudinal study was conducted in 2021 among a population comprising current and retired employees of 3 M facilities in Decatur, Alabama and Menomonie, Wisconsin [ 25 ]; these data were used to conduct a case-control study of COVID-19 disease and PFAS serum concentrations. These two locations were chosen for their historic PFAS production (Decatur) and non-PFAS production (Menomonie).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Spring of 2021, we invited individuals from two manufacturing facilities, one of which historically generated PFAS, to participate in a longitudinal study to assess antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccine and PFAS concentrations in serum. The longitudinal study showed a small inverse association between antibody response and PFAS, with confidence intervals that included zero [ 25 ]. Because of the frequency of reported COVID-19 diagnoses, these data provided an opportunity to investigate PFAS exposure and COVID-19 disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%