Association of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) with Age of Puberty among Children Living near a Chemical Plant
Open accessAbstract
Animal studies suggest that perfluorocarbons (PFCs) may alter sexual maturation. Relationships of human PFC exposure with puberty are not clear. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate whether perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were associated with indicators of sexual maturation in a 2005-2006 survey of residents with PFOA water contamination from the Mid-Ohio Valley. Participants were 3076 boys and 2931 girls aged 8-18 years. They were classified as having reached puberty based on either hormone levels (total >50 ng/dL and free >5 pg/mL testosterone in boys and estradiol >20 pg/mL in girls) or onset of menarche. We estimated the odds of having reached puberty classified by these criteria and the fitted median age of reaching puberty in relation to serum PFOA and PFOS concentrations measured when puberty status was assigned. For boys, there was a relationship of reduced odds of reached puberty (raised testosterone) with increasing PFOS (delay of 190 days between the highest and lowest quartile). For girls, higher concentrations of PFOA or PFOS were associated with reduced odds of postmenarche (130 and 138 days of delay, respectively). In conclusion, our study showed a later age of puberty in this population correlated with PFC concentrations.
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Human epidemiological studies report delayed puberty in exposed females.
“these findings are supported by human epidemiological studies reporting delayed puberty in exposed females.33,34”
From A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)? (2017) · cites this paper as [34]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Lopez-Espinosa, M.-J., Fletcher, T., Armstrong, B., Genser, B., Dhatariya, K., Mondal, D., Ducatman, A., & Leonardi, G.
- Affiliations
- Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, United Kingdom
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Universidade Federal da Bahia (BR)
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (GB)
- West Virginia University (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2011-05-02
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 19
- Pages
- 8160-8166
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2086662317
- Cited by
- 262
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 10.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Repository of Digital Objects for Teaching Research and Culture (University of Valencia) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOS, perfluorocarbons, puberty onset, delayed puberty, menarche, testosterone, estradiol, endocrine disruption, children
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Aging, Caprylates, Chemical Industry, Child, Child, Preschool, Environmental Monitoring, Female, Fluorocarbons, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Menarche, Ohio, Puberty, Residence Characteristics, Gonadal Steroid Hormones, West Virginia, Logistic Models, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Young Adult, Self Report
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