Levels of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Norwegian Children Stratified by Age and Sex—Data from the Bergen Growth Study 2
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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Due to the persistence, bioaccumulation and potential adverse health effects, there have been restrictions and phase out in the production of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) since the early 2000s. Published serum levels of PFAS during childhood are variable and may reflect the impact of age, sex, sampling year and exposure history. Surveying the concentrations of PFAS in children is vital to provide information regarding exposure during this critical time of development. The aim of the current study was therefore to evaluate serum concentrations of PFAS in Norwegian schoolchildren according to age and sex. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum samples from 1094 children (645 girls and 449 boys) aged 6-16 years, attending schools in Bergen, Norway, were analyzed for 19 PFAS. The samples were collected in 2016 as part of the Bergen Growth Study 2. Statistical analyses included Student t-test, one-way ANOVA and Spearman's correlation analysis of log-transformed data. RESULTS: Of the 19 PFAS examined, 11 were detected in the serum samples. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorononaoic acid (PFNA) were present in all samples with geometric means of 2.67, 1.35, 0.47 and 0.68 ng/mL, respectively. In total, 203 children (19%) had PFAS levels above the safety limits set by the German Human Biomonitoring Commission. Significantly higher serum concentrations were found in boys compared to girls for PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS and perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS). Furthermore, serum concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFHpS were significantly higher in children under the age of 12 years than in older children. CONCLUSIONS: PFAS exposure was widespread in the sample population of Norwegian children analyzed in this study. Approximately one out of five children had PFAS levels above safety limits, indicating a potential risk of negative health effects. The majority of the analyzed PFAS showed higher levels in boys than in girls and decreased serum concentrations with age, which may be explained by changes related to growth and maturation.
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Norwegian cohort data (2023) confirmed that children under 12 had notably higher concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFHpS than older children, with about 20% exceeding current safety thresholds.
“Norwegian cohort data (2023) confirmed that children under 12 had notably higher concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFHpS than older children, with about 20% exceeding current safety thresholds [62].”
From Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Healthcare: Environmental and Clinical Insights (2025) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Forthun, I. H., Roelants, M., Haug, L. S., Knutsen, H. K., Schell, L. M., Jugessur, A., Bjerknes, R., Sabaredzovic, A., Bruserud, I. S., & Juliusson, P. B.
- Affiliations
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NO)
- University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
- Corresponding author
- Forthun, Ingvild Halsør
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-07
- Volume
- 252
- Pages
- 114199
- ISSN
- 1438-4639 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4379742137
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 2.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Lirias (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Helse Vest Regionalt Helseføretak
- Helse Vest RHF (F-12536)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Fluorine in Organic Chemistry
- Keywords
- per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS exposure, children, serum concentration, age differences, sex differences, PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFHxS, PFNA, PFHpS, human biomonitoring, safety limits, growth and maturation, Norwegian children, elementary school students, environmental pollutants, early life exposure
- MeSH terms
- Caprylates, Child, Environmental Pollutants, Female, Fluorocarbons, Humans, Male, Norway, Sulfonic Acids, Alkanesulfonic Acids
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