PFAS

How Does Maternal PFAS Exposure Affect Prenatal Development?

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are long-lasting chemicals that can be found in many household materials, but not enough is known about pre- and perinatal negative health outcomes associated with PFAS exposure. Additionally, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, such as African American women and children, may be at more risk for PFAS exposure, worsening health disparities. Previous studies have linked PFAS exposure with negative infant health outcomes, such as lower birth weight, but little is known about the specific biological mechanisms that PFAS exposures disrupt during prenatal development.

Che-Jung Chang, PhD (left) and Donghai Liang, PhD (right) served as first and corresponding authors for this publication.

To investigate these mechanisms, Che-Jung Chang, PhD, Donghai Liang, PhD, and their team of ECHO researchers at Emory University looked at pregnancy and exposure data from more than 300 African American women enrolled in the Atlanta ECHO cohort from 2014-2018. Their research, titled “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure, maternal metabolomic perturbation, and fetal growth in African American women: A meet-in-the-middle approach,” is published in Environment International.

As part of this study, the researchers analyzed the levels of PFAS in the participants’ blood samples along with the levels of a variety of small molecules that are known to be essential to prenatal development. The researchers then used statistical methods to look at how these chemical differences affected birth weights. The analysis found that PFAS exposures were linked with lower birth weights in babies that African American women delivered. These lower birth weights may have been associated with changes in the levels of a variety of essential metabolites and molecules, including amino acids, lipid/fatty acid, bile acids, and sex hormones.

The results of this study reveal some of the key chemical mechanisms that may be responsible for the effects of PFAS exposure on prenatal development. “The molecular mechanisms and biomarkers presented in this study warrant future investigation in targeted studies,” said Dr. Liang. “These investigations may help develop early detection and intervention strategies in both public health and clinical settings.”

Going forward, the team will take a closer look at how PFAS exposures are reflected in the levels of key small molecules in newborn babies. Additionally, team members hope to expand their chemical analysis in order to get a more holistic view of how PFAS exposures affect prenatal development.

Access the brief flash talk from the authors in the following video:

Access the research summary.

ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

<< Back to Research Summaries

ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

Authors: Che-Jung Chang, Donghai Liang, et al.

 

Who sponsored this study?

This work was supported by the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program Opportunities and Infrastructure Fund, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Footnote: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

 

What were the study results?

Some PFAS exposures were linked to a greater risk of low birth weight for babies that African American women delivered. PFAS exposures were also associated with the changes in the levels of small molecules needed for the baby’s development. These molecules included amino acids, lipid/fatty acids, bile acids, and sex hormones.

Footnote: Results reported here are for a single study. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. You should not make changes to your health without first consulting your healthcare professional.

 

What was the study's impact?

This is one of the first studies researching the connections and relationships between exposures to PFAS, metabolomic changes during the baby’s development, and the baby’s growth. The chemical analysis showed that changes in the levels of the molecules may be responsible for the effects on birth weight. Future studies may target the important chemical mechanisms of the molecules, which may help develop early detection and intervention strategies for babies with low birth weight due to PFAS.

 

Why was this study needed?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are called “forever chemicals” because they stay in the environment a long time. PFAS exposures have been linked to adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as lower birth weights, but there is little information on why this relationship exists and how PFAS exposures affect the body. Also, African American women and children are exposed to higher levels of environmental pollutants and have a higher risk of negative birth outcomes, so studies focusing on this population are very important for reducing heath disparities.

 

Who was involved?

This study included 313 participants enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child ECHO cohort between March 2014 and May 2018.

 

What happened during the study?

Researchers collected blood samples from participants and measured the levels of PFAS and small molecules essential to a baby’s development. Using this information, the researchers calculated how the levels of the molecules changed in response to PFAS exposures and how these exposures affected the birth weight of babies.

 

What happens next?

The research team is working on additional analyses on the impact of exposures to PFAS before birth and the levels of essential small molecules in newborns. They are also planning to conduct larger analyses in order to get a more holistic view of the connection between PFAS exposures and adverse birth outcomes.

 

Where can I learn more?

For research updates, follow them on Twitter @donghai_liang, @chejung_chang, @EmoryRollins, and @EmoryHERCULES, and check out the Environmental Metabolomics Research Group’s website.

Access the full journal article, titled “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure, maternal metabolomic perturbation, and fetal growth in African American women: A meet-in-the-middle approach” in Environment International.

 

The content is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

 

Published November 1, 2021

 

Access the associated article.

See ECHO's PFAS research.

Download this summary

ECHO Study Links PFAS Exposure During Pregnancy to Lower Birth Weight for Black Mothers

Read More Research Summaries about Chemical Exposures and Pregnancy

How Chemical Exposures in Pregnancy Affect Gene Changes in the Placenta

Author(s): Alison Paquette, Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH, et al.

Do chemicals that break down slowly in the environment affect how long it takes to become pregnant?  

Author(s): Linda Kahn, Alison Hipwell, Kim Harley, Pam Factor-Litvak, Michele Klein-Fedyshin, Christine Porucznik, Eva Siegel, Yeyi Zhu

A review of studies that look at whether exposure to common non-persistent chemicals in consumer products delays the time it takes to become pregnant

Author(s): Alison E. Hipwell, Linda G. Kahn, Pam Factor-Litvak, et al

Can Maternal Chemical Exposures Affect Birth Weight?

Posted on by Jodi Snare

John Pearce
John Pearce, PhD
Medical University of South Carolina

Pregnant women often encounter numerous chemicals that may pose a risk to them and their baby. A subset of these chemicals are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), which can affect health outcomes including growth and development, organ function, metabolism, and reproduction. Thousands of manufactured chemicals in use today are EDCs, and exposures to them are often studied individually. However, this approach is limited since mothers often encounter multiple chemicals in combination (a.k.a., mixtures) during the course of their pregnancy.

To further investigate exposure combinations to EDCs, ECHO researcher John Pearce, PhD of the Medical University of South Carolina and his research team developed a new methodology defined as exposure continuum mapping (ECM) that leverages spatially correlated learning for investigating complex exposure patterns (a.k.a. mixtures) in health studies involving numerous exposures. With this study, Dr. Pearce and his team apply ECM to data collected from a diverse mother-child cohort to identify exposure profiles of real world EDC mixtures and to assess how the discovered profiles associated with birth outcomes.

To begin, the team used data previously collected from over 600 women participating in ECHO that also enrolled in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies from 2009-2012. These data included concentrations of EDCs measured in blood samples collected from mothers 8-12 weeks into their pregnancy and their infant’s weight at birth. Then, the team analyzed these data with ECM in order to identify the range of EDC exposure profiles experienced by moms during their pregnancy and to examine the relationship to the birth weight of their children.

Findings from the study revealed that moms experienced a broad range of chemical exposure profiles with marked variability in exposure magnitudes across chemical classes and exposure frequencies. Evaluation of health effects found that maternal exposure profiles dominated by higher levels of flame-retardants (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) were associated to lower birth weights. Exposure profiles with higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluoroakyl (PFAS) substances were associated with increased birth weights. PCBs are man-made chemicals that are often found in industrial and commercial products, such as electrical and hydraulic equipment and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. PFAS substances can often be found in food packaging, commercial household products, drinking water, and living organisms.

“ECM provides a promising framework for supporting studies of other exposure mixtures as the resulting mapping benefits visualization and assessment of relationships in complex data,” said Pearce. “Moving forward, our team will apply ECM to assist investigations of exposure mixtures and other child health outcomes, with particular interest on obesity.”

Read the research summary.

ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

<< Back to Research Summaries

ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

Author(s): John L. Pearce, Brian Neelon, Michael S. Bloom, Jessie P. Buckley, Cande V. Ananth, Frederica Perera, John Vena, and Kelly Hunt

 

Who sponsored this study?

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

 

What were the study results?

Findings from the study revealed that moms experienced a broad range of chemical exposure profiles with marked variability in exposure magnitudes across chemical classes and exposure frequencies. Evaluation of health effects found that maternal exposure profiles dominated by higher levels of flame-retardants (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs) were associated to lower birth weights. Exposure profiles with higher levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and perfluoroakyl (PFAS) substances were associated with increased birth weights. PCBs are man-made chemicals that are often found in industrial and commercial products, such as electrical and hydraulic equipment and plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. PFAS substances can often be found in food packaging, commercial household products, drinking water, and living organisms.

 

What was the study's impact?

ECM provides a promising framework for supporting studies of other exposure mixtures as the resulting mapping benefits visualization and assessment of relationships in complex data.

 

Why was this study needed?

Pregnant women often encounter numerous chemicals that may pose a risk to them and their baby.  Studies seeking to identify health effects in populations that experience such complex exposure scenarios remains difficult. With this study, the researchers tried to improve research of multiple exposures by presenting a mixtures methodology, defined as exposure continuum mapping (ECM), that allows investigators to identify complex exposure patterns (i.e., mixtures) within their study population and evaluate complex health effects.

 

Who was involved?

The team involved a diverse mother-child cohort over 600 women participating in ECHO that also enrolled in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies from 2009-2012.

 

What happened during the study?

To begin, the team obtained data previously collected from the study population during their participation in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies. These data included concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) measured in blood samples collected from mothers 8-12 weeks into their pregnancy and their infant’s weight at birth. Then, the team analyzed these data with ECM in order to identify the range of EDC exposure profiles experienced by moms during their pregnancy and to examine the relationship to the birth weight of their children.

 

What happens next?

The team will apply ECM to assist investigations of exposure mixtures and other child health outcomes, with particular interest on obesity.

 

Where can I learn more?

For access to software tools see: https://github.com/johnlpearce/

Access the full journal article, titled “Exploring associations between prenatal exposure to multiple endocrine disruptors and birth weight with exposure continuum mapping.”

 

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

 

Published June 2, 2021

 

Access the associated article.

Download this summary

ECHO Study Finds Pregnant Women Exposed to Variety of Chemicals—Some May Affect Birth Weights

Read More Research Summaries about Chemical Exposures and Pregnancy

Do chemicals that break down slowly in the environment affect how long it takes to become pregnant?  

Author(s): Linda Kahn, Alison Hipwell, Kim Harley, Pam Factor-Litvak, Michele Klein-Fedyshin, Christine Porucznik, Eva Siegel, Yeyi Zhu

A review of studies that look at whether exposure to common non-persistent chemicals in consumer products delays the time it takes to become pregnant

Author(s): Alison E. Hipwell, Linda G. Kahn, Pam Factor-Litvak, et al