Effects of perfluorooctanesulfonate exposure on plasma lipid levels in the Inuit population of Nunavik (Northern Quebec).
BACKGROUND
Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) was used as a surfactant in various commercial products. In rodents, exposure to this compound induced various health effects, including hypolipidemia. In human populations, the potential toxicity of PFOS is not yet fully characterized, but indications of effects on lipids are reported. A recent study reported an increase in plasma cholesterol associated with exposure to perfluorinated compounds in humans exposed through drinking water, but similar effects were not reported in all exposed human populations. PFOS is widely distributed in the environment, including the arctic biota. The Inuit of Nunavik are exposed to environmental contaminants through the consumption of fish and game. This diet is also a source of omega3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) that are known to lower plasma triacylglycerols.


OBJECTIVE
This cross-sectional epidemiologic study aims at assessing the relationship between PFOS exposure and plasma lipids, while taking account of the concomitant hypolipidemic effect exerted by n-3 PUFAs.


METHODS
Plasma concentrations of PFOS and lipids were assessed in Nunavik Inuit adults (n=723) in the framework of a large-scale environmental health study. Associations of exposure levels to age, gender and selected wild food consumption associated with n-3 PUFAs intake, as well as the exposure on lipid levels were investigated by multivariate linear modeling.


RESULTS
In the Inuit population, PFOS exposure and n-3 PUFAs intake are related to traditional food consumption. Triacylglycerol and ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were negatively associated with PFOS plasma levels, while HDL-C levels were positively associated, after adjustment for circulating levels of n-3 PUFAs and for the interaction between gender and PFOS plasma levels. Other plasma lipids, such as low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and non-HDL-C were not related to PFOS plasma concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study show a relationship between PFOS and plasma lipid levels in an environmentally exposed human population, and this effect appears distinct from that of n-3 PUFAs.
Château-Degat
Marie-Ludivine
ML
Axe santé des populations et environnementale, Research center of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec and Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada G1V 2M2.
Pereg
Daria
D
Dallaire
Renée
R
Ayotte
Pierre
P
Dery
Serge
S
Dewailly
Eric
E
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D020957:Nunavut
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D008055:Lipids; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid