Prenatal Exposure to Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and Maternally Reported Developmental Milestones in Infancy

Abstract

BackgroundPerfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are fluorinated organic compounds present in the general population at low concentrations. Animal studies have shown that they may affect neuromuscular development at high concentrations.ObjectivesWe investigated the association between plasma levels of PFOS and PFOA in pregnant women and motor and mental developmental milestones of their children.MethodsWe randomly selected 1,400 pairs of pregnant women and their children from the Danish National Birth Cohort. PFOS and PFOA were measured in maternal blood samples taken in early pregnancy. Apgar score was abstracted from the National Hospital Discharge Register in Denmark. Developmental milestones were reported by mothers using highly structured questionnaires when the children were around 6 months and 18 months of age.ResultsMothers who had higher levels of PFOA and PFOS gave birth to children who had similar Apgar scores and reached virtually all of the development milestones at the same time as children born to mothers with lower exposure levels. Children who were born to mothers with higher PFOS levels were slightly more likely to start sitting without support at a later age.ConclusionWe found no convincing associations between developmental milestones in early childhood and levels of PFOA or PFOS as measured in maternal plasma early in pregnancy.

The Danish National Birth Cohort: Selected scientific contributions within perinatal epidemiology and future perspectives

“…Maternal PFOS levels were not significantly associated with any of the fetal growth indicators. No convincing associations with levels of PFOA or PFOS was found for developmental milestones [27,28].…”

PFAS in Paper and Board for Food Contact

“…The levels of PFAAs in human blood serum are similar in Europe (Haug et al 2009), North America , Olsen et al 2008, Kato et al 2011, and Australia (Haug et al 2009), but the environmental levels differ in these regions (Yamashita et al 2005, Ahrens et al 2009). This indicates that a western lifestyle might be linked to human exposure to PFAAs.…”

Maternal concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and duration of breastfeeding

“…Our study was designed primarily to estimate the potential effects of PFOA and PFOS on fetal growth and postnatal development of the child (22,23). We randomly sampled 1400 women and their children among those 43 045 who fulfilled the following selection criteria: (i) provided the first maternal blood sample, (ii) gave birth to a single live born child without congenital malformation (prevalence of multiple birth or congenital malformation is 4% in the Danish cohort), and (iii) completed all four telephone interviews.…”