Evidence mapPaperPMID 34081971Full record

ArticleEnvironmental research2021

Early-life associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and serum lipids in a longitudinal birth cohort.

Annelise J Blomberg, Yu-Hsuan Shih, Carmen Messerlian, Louise Helskov Jørgensen, Pál Weihe, Philippe Grandjean

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Combined Effects of PFAS and Metals on Cognitive Function.Environments (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
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  5. Review
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  10. Serum PFAS and lipid concentrations in Ecuadorian adolescents.Archives of environmental & occupational health · 2025
    Article
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  18. Associations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with lipid and lipoprotein profiles.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2023
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Annelise J BlombergDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: a.blomberg@mail.harvard.edu.
Yu-Hsuan ShihDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Carmen MesserlianDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Louise Helskov JørgensenDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Pál WeiheDepartment of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, Faroese Hospital System, Torshavn, Faroe Islands; Center of Health Science, University of the Faroe Islands, Torshavn, Faroe Islands.
Philippe GrandjeanDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Harvard University · USUniversity of Southern Denmark · DKUniversity of the Faroe Islands · FO

Funding

TOXICOLOGYP30ES000002 · NIEHS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI Douglas W Dockery · 1985 to 2023
$12.4M
Sources, Transport, Exposure & Effects of PFAS (STEEP) Center - RENEWALP42ES027706 · UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND · 2025 to 2025
$1.5M
NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES000002NIEHS NIH HHS P42 ES027706NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES026596
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may affect metabolic outcomes, including lipid concentrations in the blood. However, few studies have evaluated potential associations between PFASs and lipids longitudinally.

objectivesWe estimated associations between PFAS and lipid concentrations at birth and at several points in childhood.

methodsWe measured concentrations of five major PFASs in cord serum and in serum collected at 18 months, five years and nine years in 490 children from a prospective cohort in the Faroe Islands. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were measured at birth, 18 months and nine years. We estimated associations between PFAS and lipid concentrations and evaluated possible effect modification by sex. We also tested whether PFAS associations with age-nine lipids varied by exposure period.

resultsSerum PFAS concentrations at ages five and nine were positively associated with lipid concentrations at age nine. Cross-sectional associations between PFASs and lipids at age nine were the strongest, with increases in serum concentrations of perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) associated with increases in TC, HDL-C and LDL-C. We found statistically significant differences in estimated PFAS effects by sex, where girls had stronger positive associations between PFASs and TC and LDL-C and boys had stronger positive associations with HDL-C. In repeated measure models, exposure period was a significant modifier of PFAS effects.

conclusionsOur findings suggest that childhood PFAS exposures may be associated with elevated serum lipid concentrations. This is a public health concern, as a detrimental lipid profile in childhood is a risk factor for later development of hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease.

Indexed as

Alkanesulfonic AcidsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsChildCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornLipidsMaleProspective StudiesAlkanesulfonic AcidsEnvironmental PollutantsFluorocarbonsLipidsCardiometabolicChildhoodLipidsPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substancesPFAS

Identifiers

PMID34081971
PMCPMC8403652
OpenAlexW3163984629

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.