The infants of New Hampshire mothers whose water sources flowed through sites contaminated by PFAS experienced significantly higher rates of adverse health outcomes, and even death, according to a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In short:
- Mothers exposed to PFAS-contaminated water had 191% higher risk of their newborns dying within the first year of life, compared to mothers whose water sources were not downstream from contaminated sites.
- Exposed mothers were also 168% more likely to give birth extremely prematurely (before 28 weeks of gestation) and 180% more likely to have babies with extremely low birth weights (less than 2.2 lbs).
- Based on these results, the study authors estimate that PFAS cost the U.S. approximately $8 billion annually due to impacts to infant health.
Key quote: “Customers are going to bear the cost of cleaning PFAS up, but they’re also bearing the real cost of the health outcomes and the infant outcomes from drinking PFAS.”
- Study co-author Derek Lemoine, via The Washington Post
Why this matters: Exposure to PFAS chemicals is widespread — analyses from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey have found that 97% to 100% of the U.S. population has detectable PFAS in their blood. Drinking water and diet are the main sources of PFAS exposure in adults, and these exposures can be transferred to children during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The results of this study underscore the need to recognize the specific health impacts of PFAS in order to develop policies and interventions that effectively address the harm caused by these chemicals, especially in vulnerable populations like mothers and their newborns.
Related EHN coverage:
- PFAS exposure linked to an increased risk of repeated miscarriage
- PFAS exposure linked to changes in children’s brain matter
- Prenatal PFAS exposure may be linked to an increased risk of some childhood cancers
More resources: The PFAS Exchange offers educational materials on PFAS and their health effects, resources for obtaining and interpreting blood tests, maps of contaminated sites, and more. It’s important to note that many communities have not yet tested water for PFAS, and more contamination continues to be discovered as more testing occurs.
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- What are PFAS? ›
