New Method To Measure Prenatal PFAS Burden
New Method To Measure Prenatal PFAS Burden
Publish Date: 2026-02-19 04:56:00
Source Domain: www.technologynetworks.com
Babies born between 2003 and 2006 were exposed to many more “forever chemicals” before birth than scientists previously understood, according to new research published in Environmental Science & Technology.
Thousands of these chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, remain in use today, and their human health effects are poorly understood-making it crucial to better understand cumulative PFAS exposure in utero.
The study, led by Shelley H. Liu, PhD, Associate Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is the first to use a data science–based method to estimate a newborn’s total PFAS exposure, drawing on advanced chemical detection in umbilical cord blood.
PFAS are a large class of man-made chemicals used in products such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging, and firefighting foams. They are often called “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and the human body.
What the researchers found
The researchers measured PFAS in archived umbilical cord blood samples collected between 2003 and 2006 from 120 babies in the HOME Study, based in Cincinnati. Looking back two decades allowed the researchers to create a new tool that can be linked to health outcomes in the now-adolescent study participants, which will be a focus of future research.
Using a newer, non-targeted chemical analysis method – a technique that scans for hundreds to thousands of chemicals at the same time rather than testing for a short, predefined list – the research team detected many more PFAS chemicals in umbilical cord blood than traditional testing methods capture, including newer and understudied compounds. The researchers found 42 confirmed or putatively identified PFAS chemicals in cord blood using this non-targeted approach. Many of these PFAS are not commonly screened in traditional testing methods and their…
