title: Relationships of perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctane sulfonate serum concentrations between mother-child pairs in a population with perfluorooctanoate exposure from drinking water.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are limited data on the associations between maternal or newborn and child exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), including perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). This study provides an opportunity to assess the association between PFAA concentrations in mother-child pairs in a population exposed to PFOA via drinking water.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the relationship between mother-child PFAA serum concentrations and to examine how the child:mother ratio varies with child's age, child's sex, drinking-water PFOA concentration, reported bottled water use, and mother's breast-feeding intention.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 4,943 mother-child pairs (children, 1-19 years of age). The child:mother PFAA ratio was stratified by possible determinants. Results are summarized as geometric mean ratios and correlation coefficients between mother-child pairs, overall and within strata.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Child and mother PFOA and PFOS concentrations were correlated (r = 0.82 and 0.26, respectively). Up to about 12 years of age, children had higher serum PFOA concentrations than did their mothers. The highest child:mother PFOA ratio was found among children ≤ 5 years (44% higher than their mothers), which we attribute to in utero exposure and to exposure via breast milk and drinking water. Higher PFOS concentrations in children persisted until at least 19 years of age (42% higher than their mothers). Boys > 5 years of age had significantly higher PFOA and PFOS child:mother ratios than did girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concentrations of both PFOA and PFOS tended to be higher in children than in their mothers. This difference persisted until they were about 12 years of age for PFOA and at least 19 years of age for PFOS.
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. debapriya.mondal@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Debapriya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mondal
authors.forename: Maria-Jose
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lopez-Espinosa
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Cheryl R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fletcher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002210:Caprylates / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000097:blood*; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid