title: Association of polyfluoroalkyl chemical exposure with serum lipids in children.
abstract: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), as well as polymers of PFASs, have been widely used in commercial applications and have been detected in humans and the environment. Previous epidemiological studies have shown associations between particular PFAS chemicals and serum lipid concentrations in adults, particularly perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). There exists, however, limited information concerning the effect of PFASs have on serum lipids among children. In the present cross-sectional study, 225 Taiwanese children (12-15 years of age) were recruited to determine the relationship between serum level PFASs and lipid concentration. Results showed that eight out of ten particular PFASs were detected in the serum of >94% of the participants. Serum PFOS and perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA) levels were at an order of magnitude higher than the other PFASs, with arithmetical means of 32.4 and 30.7 ng/ml in boys and 34.2 and 27.4 ng/ml in girls, respectively. However, the variation in serum PFTA concentration was quite large. Following covariate adjustment, linear regression models revealed that PFOS, PFOA, and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were positively associated with total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TG), particularly for PFOS and PFTA. Quartile analysis, with the lowest exposure quartile as a reference, yielded associations between serum PFTA and elevations in TC (p=0.002) and LDL (p=0.004). Though not statistically significant, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) appeared to decrease linearly across quartiles for PFOS and PFOA exposure. In conclusion, a significant association was observed between serum PFASs and lipid level in Taiwanese children. These findings for PFTA are novel, and emphasize the need to investigate the exposure route and toxicological evidence of PFASs beyond PFOS and PFOA.
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors: Xiao-Wen
authors: XW
authors: Zeng
authors: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA.
authors: Zhengmin
authors: Z
authors: Qian
authors: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA.
authors: Brett
authors: B
authors: Emo
authors: School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Vaughn
authors: School of Environmental Science, Shenyang University of Technology, Shenyang 110870, China.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Bao
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors: Xiao-Di
authors: XD
authors: Qin
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Zhu
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Electronic address: leolee@ntu.edu.tw.
authors: Yungling Leo
authors: YL
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: donggh5@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors: Guang-Hui
authors: GH
authors: Dong
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D002210:Caprylates / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D008055:Lipids; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
keywords: Children; Polyfluoroalkyl compounds; Polyfluoroalkyl substances; Serum lipids