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. 2017 Mar:68:164-170.
doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.07.010. Epub 2016 Jul 12.

Shorter duration of breastfeeding at elevated exposures to perfluoroalkyl substances

Clara Amalie Gade Timmermann  1 , Esben Budtz-Jørgensen  2 , Maria Skaalum Petersen  3 , Pál Weihe  4 , Ulrike Steuerwald  5 , Flemming Nielsen  6 , Tina Kold Jensen  7 , Philippe Grandjean  8
Affiliations

Shorter duration of breastfeeding at elevated exposures to perfluoroalkyl substances

Clara Amalie Gade Timmermann et al. Reprod Toxicol. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether maternal exposure to persistent perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) affect the capability to breastfeed. In two Faroese birth cohorts (N=1130), concentrations of five PFASs were measured in maternal serum during pregnancy or two weeks after term. Duration of breastfeeding was assessed by questionnaire and clinical interview. In adjusted linear regression models, a doubling of maternal serum PFASs was associated with a reduction in duration of both total and exclusive breastfeeding, most pronounced for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) where a doubling was associated with a reduction in total breastfeeding of 1.4 (95% CI: 0.6; 2.1) months and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) where a doubling was associated with a reduction in exclusive breastfeeding of 0.5 (0.3; 0.7) months. The associations were evident among both primiparous and multiparous women, and thus cannot be explained by confounding from previous breastfeeding.

Keywords: Breast milk; Breastfeeding; Endocrine disruption; Lactation; Maternal health; Perfluoroalkyl substances.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Association between maternal serum-PFAS and duration of breastfeeding
Hypothesized causal associations and potential confounding paths are depicted in a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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