Determinants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure among Wisconsin residents

Rachel Pomazal; Kristen Malecki; Noel Stanton; Brandon Shelton; Meshel Lange; Roy Irving; Jonathan Meiman; Christina K Remucal; Amy Cochran; Amy A Schultz

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.119131

Determinants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure among Wisconsin residents

Environ Res. 2024 May 15:254:119131. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119131. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Population Health Sciences, Madison, WI, USA.
² Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL, USA.
³ Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, Madison, WI, USA.
⁴ Wisconsin Department of Health Services Madison, WI, USA.
⁵ University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Madison, WI, USA.
⁶ University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Population Health Sciences, Madison, WI, USA. Electronic address: aaschultz4@wisc.edu.

PMID: 38759771
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119131

Abstract

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include thousands of manufactured compounds with growing public health concerns due to their potential for widespread human exposure and adverse health outcomes. While PFAS contamination remains a significant concern, especially from ingestion of contaminated food and water, determinants of the variability in PFAS exposure among regional and statewide populations in the United States remains unclear.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to leverage The Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW), the only statewide representative cohort in the US, to assess and characterize the variability of PFAS exposure in a general population.

Methods: This study sample included a sub-sample of 605 adult participants from the 2014-2016 tri-annual statewide representative sample. Geometric means for PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS, PFPeS, PFHpA, and a summed measure of 38 analyzed serum PFAS were presented by demographic, diet, behavioral, and residential characteristics. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine significant predictors of serum PFAS after adjustment.

Results: Overall, higher serum concentrations of long-chain PFAS were observed compared with short-chain PFAS. Older adults, males, and non-Hispanic White individuals had higher serum PFAS compared to younger adults, females, and non-White individuals. Eating caught fish in the past year was associated with elevated levels of several PFAS.

Discussion: This is among the first studies to characterize serum PFAS among a representative statewide sample in Wisconsin. Both short- and long-chain serum PFAS were detectable for six prominent PFAS. Age and consumption of great lakes fish were the most significant predictors of serum PFAS. State-level PFAS biomonitoring is important for identifying high risk populations and informing state public health standards and interventions, especially among those not living near known contamination sites.

Keywords: Determinants; Epidemiology; PFAS; Population-based.

Published by Elsevier Inc.