Perfluoroalkyl substances and food allergies in adolescents.

Abstract

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of organic compounds that are persistent in the environment due to their stable carbon-fluorine backbone, which is not susceptible to degradation. Research suggests these chemicals may exert an immunotoxic effect. The aim of this study is to investigate the associations between four PFASs - perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) - with food sensitization and food allergies in adolescent participants (ages 12-19years) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2006 and 2007-2010, respectively. We performed multivariate logistic regression to analyze the association between individual PFASs with food sensitization (defined as having at least 1 food-specific IgE level≥0.35kU/L) in NHANES 2005-2006 and food allergies (self-reported) in NHANES 2007-2010. Serum PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS were statistically significantly associated with higher odds to have self-reported food allergies in NHANES 2007-2010. When using IgE levels as a marker of food sensitization, we found that serum PFNA was inversely associated with food sensitization (NHANES 2005-2006). In conclusion, we found that serum levels of PFASs were associated with higher odds to have self-reported food allergies. Conversely, adolescents with higher serum PFNA were less likely to be sensitized to food allergens. These results, along with previous studies, warrant further investigation, such as well-designed longitudinal studies.

• Authors: Melanie C Buser, Franco Scinicariello
• Journal: Environment international (Environ Int) Vol. 88 Pg. 74-79 (Mar 2016) ISSN: 1873-6750 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 26722671 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Fluorocarbons

Topics

• Adolescent
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Fluorocarbons (blood)
• Food Hypersensitivity (blood, epidemiology)
• Humans
• Logistic Models
• Male
• Nutrition Surveys
• Prevalence
• Regression Analysis
• United States (epidemiology)
• Young Adult