ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Environ Health Perspect. 2019 Jan;127(1):17004.

This population-based cohort study suggests sex-specific associations between prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and subsequent altered pubertal development.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) impact populations as much as individuals given their ubiquity in our environment. Developmental exposure to EDCs has been associated with increased risk of genital malformations, hypofertility and testis cancer in human and rodent males, as well as increased risk of breast cancer and alterations of pubertal timing and ovarian function in females (1). Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a group of synthetic chemicals used as surfactants or components of surface coatings. They are found in a variety of consumer products, including carpets, textile, coating additives, food paper and packaging, furnishings, waterproof clothing, and cosmetics. These substances are very persistent and contaminate the developing foetus. Several in vitro and animal studies indicate that they act as estrogen agonists or androgen antagonists (2–6).

These authors measured several PFAS in maternal plasma from early gestation in 2 cohorts comprising >1100 mother-child pairs, for whom data on offspring pubertal development were collected biannually from age 11 years until full maturation, using web-based questionnaires. Prenatal exposure to some PFAs was associated with earlier age at onset of puberty in girls. In boys, positive and negative associations with prenatal exposure to different types of PFAs were found. The magnitude (3 to 6 months) and pattern of the associations varied with the child’s sex and the nature of the chemical.

This study is one of the first to focus on the effects of prenatal exposure to PFAs on the timing of puberty onset, indicating some alterations of fetal programming by these ubiquitous chemicals.

References: 1. Gore AC, Chappell VA, Fenton SE, Flaws JA, Nadal A, Prins GS, Toppari J, Zoeller RT. 2015 EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocr. Rev. 36(6): E1–E150.

2. Abbott BD. 2009. Review of the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha (PPARα), beta (PPARβ), and gamma (PPARγ) in rodent and human development. Reprod. Toxicol. 27: 246–257.

3. Du G, Hu J, Huang H, Qin Y, Han X, Wu D, Qin Y, Han X, Wu D, Song L, Xia Y, Wang X; 2013. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) affects hormone receptor activity, steroidogenesis, and expression of endocrine-related genes in vitro and in vivo. Environ Toxicol. Chem. 32(2):353–360.

4. Kjeldsen LS, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC. 2013. Perfluorinated compounds affect the function of sex hormone receptors. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int. 20: 8031–8044.

5. Lau C, Anitole K, Hodes C, Lai D, Pfahles-Hutchens A, Seed J. 2007. Perfluoroalkyl acids: a review of monitoring and toxicological findings. Toxicol. Sci. 99: 366–394.

6. Thibodeaux JR, Hanson RG, Rogers JM, Grey BE, Barbee BD, Richards JH, Butenhoff JL, Stevenson LA, Lau C. 2003. Exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate during pregnancy in rat and mouse. I: maternal and prenatal evaluations. Toxicol. Sci. 74: 369–381.