Exposure of Preconception Couples to Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Variations Within and Between Couples

Abstract

Exploration of the exposure of preconception couples to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the most important influencing factors, promotes the understanding of the joint effects of parental exposure on reproductive health. In the present study, a total of 938 preconception couples recruited through the Shanghai Birth Cohort were investigated for the variations of PFAS exposure and contributing factors within and between couples. While linear perfluorooctanoic acid (n-PFOA, median 20.4 ng/mL) and linear perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (n-PFOS, 12.1 ng/mL) remained dominant in plasma, emerging PFAS, particularly 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (10.5 ng/mL), 6:2 polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diester (0.41 ng/mL), and branched PFOS or PFOA isomers, were also frequently detected. Although individual PFAS were generally correlated within couples, gender differences significantly existed in the concentrations of most individual PFAS and isomer profiles of PFOS and PFOA. Men generally exhibited higher plasma concentrations than their partners, likely reflecting gender-specific elimination pathway and kinetics. Couple-based PFAS exposure also varied greatly. After adjustment for individual factors, several household factors, including annual household income, dwelling floor type, drinking water source, and living near farmlands, were found to be associated with couple-based PFAS exposure. Our study constitutes one of the few studies addressing couple-based exposure to PFAS and lays a solid ground for further assessment of the impacts of parental exposure on reproductive health.

Predictors of Serum Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Concentrations among U.S. Couples Attending a Fertility Clinic

“…concentrations among pregnant women and children, 13 to date, only one Chinese study evaluated the predictors of PFAS concentrations among preconception couples. 14 The study found that PFAS concentrations were weakly to moderately correlated within couples, and males, in general, had higher PFAS concentrations than females. The study also examined household factors in relation to couples' PFAS concentrations but did not examine other relevant factors such as diet.…”

Environmental Exposure to 6:2 Polyfluoroalkyl Phosphate Diester and Impaired Testicular Function in Men

“…Technical details of the detection of these two diPAPs and other legacy PFAS were described previously. 23 The limit of detections (LODs) of 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs were determined to be 0.03 and 0.07 ng/mL, respectively. However, in the present study, while the detection rate of 6:2 diPAP was >90%, 8:2 diPAP was undetectable.…”

“…The reference standards of 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs and isotopically labeled 13 C-6:2 diPAP were purchased from Wellington Laboratories (Guelph, Ontario, Canada). The sample treatments for 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs followed the procedures described previously. − Briefly, plasma samples (100 μL each) were spiked with isotopically labeled surrogate standards and then loaded onto the Captiva EMR-Lipid 96-well plates (1 mL, Agilent Technologies, USA). Solid-phase extraction was conducted on a Biotage Extrahera automation system (Biotage, Sweden).…”

“…The transition quantifiers were set at 789 > 443/97 and 989 > 543/523 for 6:2 diPAP and 8:2 diPAP, respectively. Technical details of the detection of these two diPAPs and other legacy PFAS were described previously . The limit of detections (LODs) of 6:2 and 8:2 diPAPs were determined to be 0.03 and 0.07 ng/mL, respectively.…”

Integrated Analysis of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Metabolic Profiling of Elderly Residents Living near Industrial Plants

“…For the general population, lower concentrations in females than in males have been found for several PFASs. 29,38 However, the sex differences may change in the old age group. A previous study 39 reported that the serum concentration of PFOS and PFOA in menopausal females over 51 years of age was higher than that in females between the ages of 20 and 50 years; besides, no difference was found in the serum levels of PFASs between males and postmenopausal females.…”