Childhood exposure to legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and autistic traits in children at age 4.
L’essentiel
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern due to their neurodevelopmental toxicity in offspring. Existing research has largely focused on maternal prenatal exposure, with epidemiological evidence remaining limited and inconsistent. Little is known about the impact of childhood PFAS exposure on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To examine whether childhood exposure to legacy and emerging PFAS is associated with autistic traits in children. Based on the Shanghai Birth Cohort (SBC), 935 children aged 4 were included in this study. We measured the concentrations of 32 legacy and emerging PFAS in children's plasma. Autistic traits in children were assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale-Short Form (SRS-SF). Multivariate linear regression was employed to evaluate the associations between individual PFAS and autistic traits. Mixed-exposure models, including principal component analysis (PCA) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), were used to assess the joint effects of PFAS mixture on autistic traits. Fourteen PFAS were detected in ≥ 90% of children, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; median = 10.504 ng/mL) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; median = 4.745 ng/mL) being the most abundant compounds in plasma. A novel PFAS alternative, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, also known as GenX), was significantly associated with higher SRS-SF total score (adjusted β = 0.088; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.027-0.149) and social communication score (adjusted β = 0.183; 95% CI: 0.046-0.320). Mixed-exposure analyses suggested that higher overall PFAS mixture exposure was associated with increased SRS-SF scores. PCA indicated that HFPO-DA contributed substantially to the overall PFAS exposure pattern (loading = 0.79). BKMR analysis further supported the presence of PFAS mixture effects, with HFPO-DA showing a relatively high posterior inclusion probability (PIP = 0.721). Childhood exposure to PFAS, particularly emerging alternatives, was associated with elevated autistic traits.
Synthèse détaillée
Résumé original
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern due to their neurodevelopmental toxicity in offspring. Existing research has largely focused on maternal prenatal exposure, with epidemiological evidence remaining limited and inconsistent. Little is known about the impact of childhood PFAS exposure on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To examine whether childhood exposure to legacy and emerging PFAS is associated with autistic traits in children. Based on the Shanghai Birth Cohort (SBC), 935 children aged 4 were included in this study. We measured the concentrations of 32 legacy and emerging PFAS in children's plasma. Autistic traits in children were assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale-Short Form (SRS-SF). Multivariate linear regression was employed to evaluate the associations between individual PFAS and autistic traits. Mixed-exposure models, including principal component analysis (PCA) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), were used to assess the joint effects of PFAS mixture on autistic traits. Fourteen PFAS were detected in ≥ 90% of children, with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; median = 10.504 ng/mL) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; median = 4.745 ng/mL) being the most abundant compounds in plasma. A novel PFAS alternative, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, also known as GenX), was significantly associated with higher SRS-SF total score (adjusted β = 0.088; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.027-0.149) and social communication score (adjusted β = 0.183; 95% CI: 0.046-0.320). Mixed-exposure analyses suggested that higher overall PFAS mixture exposure was associated with increased SRS-SF scores. PCA indicated that HFPO-DA contributed substantially to the overall PFAS exposure pattern (loading = 0.79). BKMR analysis further supported the presence of PFAS mixture effects, with HFPO-DA showing a relatively high posterior inclusion probability (PIP = 0.721). Childhood exposure to PFAS, particularly emerging alternatives, was associated with elevated autistic traits.