An analysis of 299 umbilical cord blood samples led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that newborn babies are exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate acids (PFOA or C8). PFOA is the dissociated carboxylate anion of perflurooctanic acid and its salt.
PFOS and PFOA are polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs)—ubiquitous man-made chemicals used in a variety of Telfon-coated consumer products, including as a non-stick and stain-resistant coating on cookware, textiles and carpets, and in the manufacturing of insecticides. These chemicals can absorb directly through the skin. The health impact from exposure to these compounds is not fully known, but previous studies found these compounds could cause tumors and developmental toxicity in laboratory animals at doses much higher than those observed in the Hopkins study.
In the most recent Hopkins study, researchers found that PFOA and PFOS levels in cord serum were associated with small decreases in head size and body weight. PFOA was detected in all of the samples and PFOS in all but two of the samples. The concentrations for both compounds were lower than those typically detected in adults in the United States and lower than those known to cause tumors and developmental problems in laboratory animals; more study is needed to understand health effects at these lower exposure levels.
According to the Environmental Working Group, Teflon is the brand name for the synthetic chemical polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE.
Source: “PFOS and PFOA Exposure Associated with Lower Birth Weight and Size” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health News Center, April 17, 2007; “PFOA and PFOS Detected in Newborns” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health News Center, April 24, 2007; “Determinants of Fetal Exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds in Baltimore, Maryland” Benjamin A. et al Environmental Science & Technology (June, 2007) 41(11):3891–3897
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Chapter: Health ::
21 September 2007
