
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwad110
pmid: 37119029
Abstract Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent chemicals capable of crossing the placenta and passing into breast milk. Evidence suggests that PFAS exposure may affect brain development. We investigated whether prenatal or early postnatal PFAS exposure was associated with intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in schoolchildren from the Odense Child Cohort (Denmark, 2010–2020). We assessed concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) in maternal serum collected during the first trimester of pregnancy and in child serum at age 18 months. At 7 years of age, children completed an abbreviated version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition, from which Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) and Verbal Comprehension Index scores were estimated. In multiple linear regression analyses conducted among 967 mother-child pairs, a doubling in maternal PFOS and PFNA concentrations was associated with a lower FSIQ score, while no significant associations were observed for PFOA, PFHxS, or PFDA. PFAS concentrations at age 18 months and duration of breastfeeding were strongly correlated, and even in structural equation models it was not possible to differentiate between the opposite effects of PFAS exposure and duration of breastfeeding on FSIQ. PFAS exposure is ubiquitous; therefore, an association with even a small reduction in IQ is of public health concern.
child, Fluorocarbons, Fatty Acids, environmental exposure, Infant, prenatal exposure, schoolchildren, Fluorocarbons/toxicity, cohort studies, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Pregnancy, Humans, Female, Environmental Pollutants, intelligence quotient, Child, perfluoroalkyl substances
child, Fluorocarbons, Fatty Acids, environmental exposure, Infant, prenatal exposure, schoolchildren, Fluorocarbons/toxicity, cohort studies, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Pregnancy, Humans, Female, Environmental Pollutants, intelligence quotient, Child, perfluoroalkyl substances
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