Environment/Climate Change
Determinants of total perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) body burden among postmenopausal women Maud Muosieyiri* Maud Muosieyiri Muosieyiri UMASS Amherst
Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent synthetic chemicals that have long biological half-lives. Although exposure to individual PFAS compounds has been widely studied, most epidemiologic studies examine predictors of individual PFAS, despite evidence that humans are exposed to complex mixtures of PFAS. Thus, less is known about determinants of overall PFAS burden, especially in adults. We aimed to identify predictors of PFAS exposure in a population of postmenopausal women.
Methods: We measured serum concentrations of seven PFAS in 263 cancer-free postmenopausal women. Individual PFAS concentrations were converted to molar units and summed to derive a total PFAS molar sum. Multivariable linear regression estimated adjusted predicted geometric means, accounting for age, education, race, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, breastfeeding history, parity, and postmenopausal hormone therapy use. Effect modification was evaluated using interaction terms. Results are presented as predicted geometric mean PFAS concentrations with 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Age was the strongest predictor of total PFAS exposure, with PFAS molar sum increasing steadily across older age groups. Higher education was also associated with higher PFAS molar sum. A significant race-by-BMI interaction was also observed, with the most significant racial differences in exposure among underweight and normal-weight women where non-White women had a greater mean concentration than their White counterparts.
Conclusion: Total PFAS exposure varied by age, education, race, and BMI among postmenopausal women. A significant race–BMI interaction indicated that racial disparities in PFAS exposure were most pronounced among underweight and normal-weight women, emphasizing the importance of joint social and biological effects. Characterizing determinants of overall PFAS burden helps identify subgroups with high exposure and supports mixture-based approaches for PFAS exposure assessment.