Cord Blood Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Mothers Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster During Pregnancy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Herbstman J ; Kannan K ; Lederman SA ; Perera FP ; Robinson M ; Spratlen MJ ; Trasande L
• Description:
  Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may have been released during the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11. Evidence suggests PFAS can cross the placental barrier in humans and cause harm to the developing fetus; however, no studies have measured PFAS in mothers exposed to the WTC disaster during pregnancy. We measured PFAS in maternal plasma (n = 48) or cord blood (n = 231) from pregnant women in the Columbia University WTC birth cohort, enrolled between December 13, 2001 and June 26, 2002 at one of three hospitals located near the WTC site. In order to maximize sample size, we used a linear regression to transform the 48 maternal plasma samples to cord blood equivalents in our study; cord blood and transformed maternal plasma-to-cord blood samples were then analyzed together. We evaluated the association between WTC exposure and PFAS concentrations using three exposure variables: 1) living/working within two miles of WTC; 2) living within two miles of WTC regardless of work location; and 3) working but not living within two miles of WTC. Exposure was compared with those not living/working within two miles of WTC (reference group). Living/working within two miles of WTC was associated with 13% higher perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations compared with the reference group [GMR (95% CI): 1.13 (1.01, 1.27)]. The association was stronger when comparing only those who lived within two miles of WTC to the reference group [GMR (95% CI): 1.17 (1.03, 1.33)], regardless of work location. Our results provide evidence that exposure to the WTC disaster during pregnancy resulted in increases in PFAS concentrations, specifically PFOA. This work identifies a potentially vulnerable and overlooked population, children exposed to the WTC disaster in utero, and highlights the importance of future longitudinal studies in this cohort to investigate later life effects resulting from these early life exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Environmental Exposure Hematologic Tests Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Perfluoroalkyl Substances Blood Samples Cord Blood Environmental Exposure Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances PFAS Prenatal Exposure World Trade Center World Trade Center Disaster WTC
• ISSN:
  0269-7491
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  482-490
• Volume:
  246
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054172
• Citation:
  Environ Pollut 2019 Mar; 246:482-490
• Contact Point Address:
  Miranda J. Spratlen, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St., Room 1105, New York, NY 10032, USA
• Email:
  mjs2376@cumc.columbia.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Perfluorocarbons (CAS RN 308069-13-8) ; Perfluorooctanoic acid (CAS RN 335-67-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  New York University School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Pollution
• End Date:
  20170630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:598c84ab71ad71a4bda414b65646831e683137a12b8557ffc69650c61fc95033ba958f1031ca022cae362d689c280c7e199aa8743a2fd0c44f0e62072b1927cd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216790/cdc_216790_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 896.38 KB ]