Stain-resistant Chemicals linked to high Blood Pressure during Pregnancy

Mothers’ exposure to chemicals that make consumer products stain – and water – resistant was linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy in an analysis of highly exposed communities in West Virginia and Ohio. Hypertension during pregnancy can be life-threatening for the mother and child.
The study is the first prospective assessment of exposure and subsequent birth outcomes in this population.

Abstract

Background
Previous research suggests perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective
We conducted a population­based study of PFOA and PFOS and birth outcomes from 2005­2010 in a mid­Ohio Valley community exposed to high levels of PFOA through drinking water contamination.

Methods
Women provided serum for PFOA and PFOS measurement in 2005­2006 and reported reproductive histories in subsequent follow­up interviews. Reported singleton live births among 1330 women after January 1, 2005 were linked to birth records (n=1630) to identify the outcomes of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation), pregnancy­induced hypertension, low birth weight (<2500 grams), and birth weight (grams) among full­term infants.

Results
We observed little or no evidence of association between maternal serum PFOA or PFOS and preterm birth (n=158) or low birth weight (n=88). Serum PFOA and PFOS were both positively associated with pregnancy­induced hypertension (n=106), with adjusted odds ratios (OR) per log unit increase in PFOA and PFOS of 1.27 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.55) and 1.47 (95% CI: 1.06, 2.04), respectively, but associations did not increase monotonically when categorized by quintiles. Results of subanalyses restricted to pregnancies conceived after blood collection were consistent with the main analyses. There was suggestion of a modest negative association between PFOS and birth weight in full­term infants (­29 grams per log unit increase; 95% CI: ­ 66, 7) which became stronger when restricted to births conceived after the blood sample collection (­49 grams per log unit increase; 95% CI: ­90, ­8). 3 Page 4 of 32

Conclusion
Results provide some evidence of positive associations between measured serum perfluorinated compounds and pregnancy­induced hypertension and a negative association between PFOS and birth weight among full­term infants.

• Read Stain-resistant chemicals linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy, EnvironmentalHealthNews, 18 Jul 2013.
• Sources: abstract and for full pdf, read Serum Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Concentrations in Relation to Birth Outcomes in the Mid-Ohio Valley, 2005-2010.