Exposure to 'forever chemicals' before birth linked to higher blood pressure in kids
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -- toxic chemicals found in products like nonstick pans and personal care items -- can linger in the body for up to 20 years, earning them the nickname "forever chemicals," professor and lead study author Mingyu Zhang of Harvard Medical School told ABC News.
Forever chemicals have come under growing scrutiny in recent years because they build up in the body and may trigger health problems, according to a growing body of research.
In this new study, Zhang and his team found that when babies were exposed in the womb to specific types of forever chemicals -- PFDeA, PFNA, and PFUnA -- they had higher systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) later in life, possibly because these chemicals can cross the placenta during pregnancy and affect early development.
"PFAS exposure in the womb can affect fetal growth. There may be potential mechanisms that involve inflammation and oxidative stress that can cause PFAS' long-term health-related changes to blood pressure," Zhang said.
The risk does not affect all children equally. The association was stronger for teens, boys and Black children. In boys, higher exposure to the forever chemical PFDeA was linked to a 9% greater risk of high blood pressure from ages 6 to 12, and a 17% greater risk during the teen years.
Zhang cites previous studies showing that boys could be more sensitive to environmental pollutants due to slower removal rates of toxins from the body and higher rates of buildup.
When it comes to the effect on older children, Zhang speculated that because PFAS stay in the body for so long, it may take longer for their effects to take hold.
Children of Black mothers showed stronger links between PFAS exposure and high blood pressure, which the authors feel may reflect the combined impact of systemic racism, housing segregation and greater environmental exposure.
"We know that due to historic reasons, Black and Hispanic communities face a higher burden of environmental pollutants," he says. Some of the forever chemicals -- including PFHpS, PFOS, and PFOA -- were linked to lower diastolic blood pressure in early childhood, the study found. That's the lower number in a blood pressure reading reflecting when the heart rests between beats. But as kids got older, the effect faded and may have even reversed -- these same chemicals were possibly tied to higher diastolic pressure in adolescence.
Zhang said that these findings matter because children with high blood pressure are much more likely to carry it into adulthood, raising their long-term risk for heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. Early-life blood pressure patterns can set the stage for serious health issues later on, he noted.
He called for more research into the health effects of forever chemicals as well as policies that focus on reducing their use.
"Meaningful change to reduce PFAS exposure in our daily life requires policy-level change on the state and federal levels," he said. "This will really help the health of children for generations to come."
Dr. Adeiyewunmi (Ade) Osinubi is an emergency medicine resident physician at the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
