Maternal Plasma per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Concentrations in Early Pregnancy and Maternal and Neonatal Thyroid Function in a Prospective Birth Cohort: Project Viva (USA)

By Emma V. Preston , Thomas F. Webster , Emily Oken , Birgit Claus Henn , Michael D. McClean , Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman , Elizabeth N. Pearce , Lewis E. Braverman , Antonia M. Calafat , Xiaoyun Ye , and Sharon K. Sagiv
Environmental Health Perspectives
July 8, 2019
DOI: 10.1289/EHP2534

BACKGROUND:

Prenatal exposure to some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may disrupt maternal and neonatal thyroid function, which is critical for normal growth and neurodevelopment.

OBJECTIVES: 

We examined associations of PFAS exposure during early pregnancy with maternal and neonatal thyroid hormone levels.

METHODS: 

We studied 732 mothers and 480 neonates in Project Viva, a longitudinal prebirth cohort in Boston, Massachusetts. We quantified six PFASs, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and maternal thyroid hormones [thyroxine (T4), Free T4 Index (FT4I), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)] in plasma samples collected at a median 9.6 wk gestation and neonatal T4 levels from postpartum heel sticks. We estimated associations of PFAS concentrations with thyroid hormone levels using covariate-adjusted linear regression models and explored effect measure modification by maternal thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) status and infant sex.

RESULTS: 

PFAS concentrations were not associated with maternal T4, but PFOA, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and 2-(N-methyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate (MeFOSAA) were inversely associated with maternal FT4I [e.g., -1.87% (95% confidence interval (CI): -3.40, -0.31) per interquartile (IQR) increase in PFOA]. PFAS concentrations [PFOA, PFOS, and perfluorononanoate (PFNA)] were inversely associated with TSH levels in TPOAb-positive women only. Prenatal PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS concentrations were inversely associated with T4 levels in male [e.g., PFHxS, quartile 4 vs.1: -2.51μg/dL (95% CI: -3.99, -1.04 )], but not female neonates [0.40μg/dL (95% CI: -0.98, 1.79)].

CONCLUSIONS: 

In this study, prenatal exposure to some PFASs during early pregnancy was inversely associated with maternal FT4I and neonatal T4 in male infants. These results support the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to PFASs influences thyroid function in both mothers and infants.

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