Serum levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances among middle-aged and elderly populations in Beijing and their association with dyslipidemia

Food Chem Toxicol. 2024 Nov:193:115066. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2024.115066. Epub 2024 Oct 20.

Abstract

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ubiquitous environmental pollutants, have been reported as possible contributors to human dyslipidemia. However, evidence for emerging PFAS remains scarce. Using a nested case-control study (n = 357) in a middle-aged and elderly population from Beijing, we investigated the serum concentrations of eight traditional and fourteen emerging PFAS and their potential links with dyslipidemia. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were found to be the dominant PFAS. Serum levels of perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA/F53B) were associated with higher risk of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with odds ratios (OR) of 3.88 (95% CI: 1.44-10.51) and 2.71 (95% CI: 1.11-6.57), respectively. These compounds also positively correlated with high total cholesterol (TC). PFOA, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and 6:2 Fluorotelomer phosphate monoester (6:2 PAP) were linked to increased risk of high triglycerides (TG) with OR of 2.79 (95% CI: 1.30-6.01), 2.41 (95% CI: 1.27-4.60), and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.05-2.22), respectively. Conversely, perfluorooctane sulfonamidoacetic acid (FOSAA) was negatively associated with high TG levels. These findings indicate that both traditional and emerging PFAS may induce dyslipidemia, emphasizing the potentially serious impact of emerging PFAS on human health.

Keywords: Dyslipidemia; Emerging PFAS; Lipid profile; PFAS; Traditional PFAS.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alkanesulfonic Acids* / blood
  • Beijing / epidemiology
  • Caprylates / blood
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Decanoic Acids / blood
  • Dyslipidemias* / blood
  • Dyslipidemias* / chemically induced
  • Dyslipidemias* / epidemiology
  • Environmental Pollutants / blood
  • Female
  • Fluorocarbons* / blood
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Fluorocarbons
  • Alkanesulfonic Acids
  • perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • perfluorooctanoic acid
  • Caprylates
  • Decanoic Acids