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Comparative Study
. 2019 Mar;29(2):206-217.
doi: 10.1038/s41370-018-0109-y. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women

Katherine E Boronow  1 , Julia Green Brody  2 , Laurel A Schaider  2 , Graham F Peaslee  3 , Laurie Havas  4 , Barbara A Cohn  5
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Serum concentrations of PFASs and exposure-related behaviors in African American and non-Hispanic white women

Katherine E Boronow et al. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are used in a wide range of consumer products for their water- and grease-resistant properties, but few studies have explored this exposure route. We used multiple regression to investigate associations between six self-reported behaviors hypothesized to influence PFAS exposure and serum concentrations of six PFAS chemicals in 178 middle-aged women enrolled in the Child Health and Development Studies, about half of whom are African American. Blood samples were collected in 2010-2013, and participants were interviewed about behavior in 2015-2016. Results showed that African American women had lower levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) compared with non-Hispanic white women. In African Americans, but not others, frequent consumption of prepared food in coated cardboard containers was associated with higher levels of four PFASs. Flossing with Oral-B Glide, having stain-resistant carpet or furniture, and living in a city served by a PFAS-contaminated water supply were also associated with higher levels of some PFASs. Product testing using particle-induced γ-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy confirmed that Oral-B Glide and competitor flosses contained detectable fluorine. Despite the delay between blood collection and interview, these results strengthen the evidence for exposure to PFASs from food packaging and implicate exposure from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based dental floss for the first time.

Keywords: Dental floss; Drinking water; Food Packaging; PFAS; Personal exposure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overview of the CHDS study population and data used in all analyses
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The distribution of serum PFAS concentrations for participants in CHDS compared with similar women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The whiskers indicate the 5th and 95th percentiles, and the boxes show the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Data are plotted on log scale. Dark gray bars are African Americans and light gray bars are non-Hispanic whites. NHANES data are from the 2011 to 2012 cycle and subset to 40–60-year-old women born in the United States of non-Hispanic black or non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity. Asterisks indicate a significant difference by race within CHDS or within NHANES (*p < 0.05; ***p < 0.001)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Race-specific marginal effect estimates for percent change in PFAS exposure from consuming prepared food in cardboard packaging. Dark gray symbols are African Americans and light gray symbols are non-Hispanic whites
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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