title: Determinants of serum levels of perfluorinated alkyl acids in Danish pregnant women.
abstract: Humans are exposed to perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAAs) from food, drinking water, air, dust, and consumer products. PFAAs are persistent and bio-accumulative. In the present study, we aimed to establish how the serum levels of PFAAs differ according to age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), previous miscarriages, educational level, country of birth, smoking, and alcohol intake. We included 1438 Danish pregnant nulliparous women from the Aarhus Birth Cohort. The women gave a blood serum sample between week 11 and 13 of pregnancy. Sixteen PFAAs were extracted from serum using solid phase extraction and analyzed by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to determine the associations between individual characteristics of the women and their levels of seven PFAAs that were detected in at least 50% of the samples. The total concentration of the PFAAs (∑PFAA) was higher in older women. On average, normal weight women had a higher ∑PFAA level than underweight, overweight, and obese women. Higher levels were also observed for women without previous miscarriages, women with a high educational level, women born in Denmark (as opposed to women born elsewhere but currently living in Denmark), non-smokers, and women who consumed alcohol before or during pregnancy. These associations were similar for all the studied PFAAs, although the levels of perfluoroundecanoic acid varied more across the categories of age, BMI, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption than any other PFAAs measured.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Arctic Health & Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bjerregaard-Olesen
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Cathrine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.affiliation: Centre for Arctic Health & Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Manhai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Centre for Arctic Health & Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mandana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghisari
authors.affiliation: Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Bodil H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Bech
authors.affiliation: Research Unit for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ellen A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nohr
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark; Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tine B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.affiliation: Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jørn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Arctic Health & Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: ebj@ph.au.dk.
authors.forename: Eva C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Bonefeld-Jørgensen
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000097:blood; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003718:Denmark; D004522:Educational Status; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005466:Fluorocarbons
keywords: Age; Determinants; Lifestyle; Miscarriage; Perfluorinated compounds; Predictors