Early Life PFAS Exposure and Child Health: Evidence from the NIH ECHO Cohort

Key Takeaways: The widespread presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment has raised concerns about their potential impacts on child health. This presentation will explore the current state of knowledge by reviewing PFAS exposure and child health research within the ECHO Program. The talk will highlight the PFAS data available through ECHO, summarize key findings from ECHO-supported studies, and examine evidence linking prenatal and early life PFAS exposure to a range of health outcomes. It will also discuss the strengths of the ECHO platform, identify remaining research gaps, and consider future directions to advance understanding and prevention of PFAS-related health impacts in children.

Alicia Peterson, PhD

Staff Scientist
Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Division of Research
Women’s and Children’s Health Section

Biography:

Alicia Peterson, PhD, is a Staff Scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. A perinatal and environmental epidemiologist by training, her research focuses on sensitive windows of exposure across the preconception, prenatal, and early-life periods. She examines environmental contaminants and metabolic exposures that may influence in utero programming and shape later growth, metabolic health, and pubertal development.

Dr. Peterson has been involved in ECHO since 2017, initially completing her dissertation within the Cycle 1 MADRES Cohort. She now serves as a Co-Investigator in the Kaiser Permanente pregnancy and pediatric cohorts. She previously served as Co-Chair of the ECHO PFAS Special Interest Group and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Chemical and Physical Exposures Working Group. She is also the recipient of an ECHO Cycle 2, Round 1 Opportunities and Innovation Fund (OIF) award examining early-life air pollution exposure and pubertal development.

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