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Determinants of Fetal Exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds in Baltimore, Maryland

Benjamin J. Apelberg,^† Lynn R. Goldman,*^‡ Antonia M. Calafat,^§ Julie B. Herbstman,^† Zsuzsanna Kuklenyik,^§ Jochen Heidler,^‡ Larry L. Needham,^§ Rolf U. Halden,^‡ and Frank R. Witter

Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

Environ. Sci. Technol., 2007, 41 (11), pp 3891–3897

DOI: 10.1021/es0700911

Publication Date (Web): April 20, 2007

†

Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Corresponding author phone: (410) 614-9301; e-mail: lgoldman@jhsph.edu.

‡

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Current affiliation: Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Abstract

Polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), are ubiquitous, man-made chemicals. Human data suggest that in utero exposures to these chemicals occur and some evidence of developmental toxicity in animals exists. To assess the distribution and determinants of fetal exposure to PFCs, we analyzed cord serum samples from 299 singleton newborns delivered between 2004 and 2005 in Baltimore, MD for 10 PFCs by employing on-line solid-phase extraction coupled with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry. PFOS and PFOA were detected in 99 and 100% of umbilical cord sera, with geometric mean concentrations of 4.9 and 1.6 ng/mL, respectively. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were highly correlated (Pearson's r = 0.64 after natural log transformation, p < 0.01). Eight other PFCs were detected less frequently and at lower concentrations than PFOS and PFOA. Geometric mean concentrations of PFOS for Asians (6.0 ng/mL) and Blacks (5.1 ng/mL) were higher than those for Whites (4.2 ng/mL), while PFOA levels were more evenly distributed by race. Other maternal demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including age, education, marital status, and living in the city limits were not significantly associated with cord concentrations. Our findings suggest that in utero exposure to PFOS and PFOA is ubiquitous in a population of babies born in Baltimore, MD.

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