Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances in a Cohort of Women Firefighters and Office Workers in San Francisco

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bessonneau V ; Buren H ; Gerona RR ; Lin T ; Morello-Frosch R ; Rudel RA ; Trowbridge J
• Description:
  Studies of firefighters have shown increased exposures to carcinogenic compounds and elevated rates of certain cancers compared to the general population, yet this research has focused almost exclusively on men. To address this gap, the Women Firefighters Biomonitoring Collaborative created a biological sample archive and analyzed levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) among women firefighters (N = 86) and office workers (N = 84) in San Francisco. Serum samples were collected and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to measure and compare PFAS levels between firefighters and office workers. 7 of 12 PFAS congeners were detected in the least 70% of the study population, and 4 congeners were detected in 100% of participants. In regression models comparing PFAS levels by occupation and adjusting for potential confounders, firefighters had higher geometric mean concentrations of PFAS compared to office workers PFHxS (2.22 (95% CI = 1.55, 3.18)), PFUnDA (1.83 (95% CI = 0.97, 3.45)), and PFNA (1.26 (95% CI = 1.01, 1.58)). Among firefighters, occupational position predicted exposure-firefighters and officers had higher PFNA, PFOA, PFDA, and PFUnDA levels compared to drivers. Women firefighters are exposed to higher levels of some PFAS compared to office workers, suggesting that some of these exposures may be occupationally related. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Firefighters Fires Neoplasms Occupational Health Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Biomonitoring Cancer Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Office Workers Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances PFAS Regression Analysis
• ISSN:
  0013-936X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059085
• Citation:
  Environ Sci Technol 2018 Oct; 54(6):3363-3374
• Contact Point Address:
  Rachel Morello-Frosch, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
• Email:
  rmf@berkeley.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Heptafluorobutyric acid (CAS RN 375-22-4) ; Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (CAS RN 375-73-5) ; Perfluorodecanoic acid (CAS RN 335-76-2) ; Perfluorododecanoic acid (CAS RN 307-55-1) ; Perfluoroheptanoic acid (CAS RN 375-85-9) ; Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (CAS RN 355-46-4) ; Perfluorohexanoic acid (CAS RN 307-24-4) ; Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (CAS RN 754-91-6) ; Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (CAS RN 1763-23-1) ; Perfluorooctanoic acid (CAS RN 335-67-1) ; Perfluoroundecanoic acid (CAS RN 2058-94-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ccc90f39d011afb3cf62336c9f6df866781e092cb8333bf20f90ee2637f987afedf9b59dbe4b94acdfdb57f3fee39379fbe2ccfb6a4866ceb116fd8dcab75cdb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223405/cdc_223405_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 708.57 KB ]