Prenatal Perfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure and Child Adiposity at 8 Years of Age: The HOME Study

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between prenatal perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure and adiposity in children born to women who lived downstream from a fluoropolymer manufacturing plant. METHODS: Data are from a prospective cohort in Cincinnati, OH (HOME Study). We measured perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic (PFOS), perfluorononanoic (PFNA), and perfluorohexane sulfonic (PFHxS) acids in prenatal serum samples. We estimated differences in body mass index z-scores (BMI), waist circumference, and body fat at 8 years of age (n=204) and BMI between 2–8 years of age (n=285) according to PFAS concentrations. RESULTS: Children born to women in the top two PFOA terciles had greater adiposity at 8 years than children in the 1(st) tercile. For example, waist circumference (cm) was higher among children in the 2(nd) (4.3; 95% CI:1.7, 6.9) and 3(rd) tercile (2.2; 95% CI:−0.5, 4.9) compared to children in the 1(st) tercile. Children in the top two PFOA terciles also had greater BMI gains from 2–8 years compared to children in the 1(st) tercile (p<0.05). PFOS, PFNA and PFHxS were not associated with adiposity. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, higher prenatal serum PFOA concentrations were associated with greater adiposity at 8 years and a more rapid increase in BMI between 2–8 years.