By:Rovira, J (Rovira, Joaquim)^[ 1,2 ] ; Martinez, MA (Angeles Martinez, Maria)^[ 1 ] ; Sharma, RP (Prasad Sharma, Raju)^[ 1 ] ; Espuis, T (Espuis, Teresa)^[ 1 ] ; Nadal, M (Nadal, Marti)^[ 2 ] ; Kumar, V (Kumar, Vikas)^[ 1,2 ] ; Costopoulou, D (Costopoulou, Danae)^[ 3 ] ; Vassiliadou, I (Vassiliadou, Irene)^[ 3 ] ; Leondiadis, L (Leondiadis, Leondios)^[ 3 ] ; Domingo, JL (Domingo, Jose L.)^[ 2 ] …More

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This study looked at how much PFOS and PFOA pregnant women-are-the-link-to-water-security-international-womens-day-2019/”>women in Reus, Spain were exposed to before birth. We checked for these chemicals in maternal plasma during the first trimester, at delivery, and in cord blood. We figured out dietary exposure to PFOS and PFOA by using food frequency and water intake questionnaires. We also used existing data on food levels from the same area. Plus, we calculated exposure from breathing air and ingesting indoor dust. Finally, we used a PBPK model to nail down the prenatal exposure for the fetus or child and to make sure our exposure estimates matched the biomonitoring results. We did probabilistic calculations of fetal exposure using forward internal dosimetry and Monte-Carlo simulation. Mean plasma levels of PFOA were 0.45, 0.13, and 0.12 ng/mL at the first trimester, at delivery, and in cord plasma, respectively. For PFOS, those levels were 2.93, 2.21, and 1.17 ng/mL. We found traces of PFOS in all trimester and delivery samples, and in almost all cord blood samples. We estimated that about 70% of PFOS and 60% of PFOA transferred across the placenta. We noticed a trend: plasma levels of PFOS and PFOA have dropped compared to data from 10 years ago in the same area. Just like many other studies, our findings show that diet was the main way these pregnant women were exposed to PFOS and PFOA. It’s really important to understand exposure during key periods, like fetal development, not just for perfluoroalkylated substances but for other endocrine disrupting chemicals too.

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