Examining Disparities in PFAS Plasma Concentrations: Impact of Drinking Water Contamination, Food Access, Proximity to Industrial Facilities and Superfund Sites

Shiwen Li; Jesse A Goodrich; Elizabeth Costello; Douglas Walker; Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez; Jiawen Carmen Chen; Tanya L Alderete; Damaskini Valvi; Sarah Rock; Sandrah P Eckel; Rob McConnell; Frank D Gilliland; John Wilson; Beau MacDonald; David V Conti; Adam L Smith; Daniel L McCurry; Amy E Childress; Adam M-A Simpson; Lucy Golden-Mason; Ana C Maretti-Mira; Zhanghua Chen; Michael I Goran; Max Aung; Lida Chatzi

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.120370

Examining Disparities in PFAS Plasma Concentrations: Impact of Drinking Water Contamination, Food Access, Proximity to Industrial Facilities and Superfund Sites

Environ Res. 2024 Nov 14:120370. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120370. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shiwen Li¹, Jesse A Goodrich², Elizabeth Costello², Douglas Walker³, Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez², Jiawen Carmen Chen², Tanya L Alderete⁴, Damaskini Valvi³, Sarah Rock², Sandrah P Eckel², Rob McConnell², Frank D Gilliland², John Wilson⁵, Beau MacDonald⁶, David V Conti², Adam L Smith⁷, Daniel L McCurry⁷, Amy E Childress⁷, Adam M-A Simpson⁷, Lucy Golden-Mason⁸, Ana C Maretti-Mira⁸, Zhanghua Chen², Michael I Goran⁹, Max Aung², Lida Chatzi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
³ Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Sociology, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; School of Architecture, University of Southern California, CA, United States; Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁶ Spatial Sciences Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁷ Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁸ Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁹ Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.

PMID: 39549910
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120370

Abstract

Background: Most of the US population is exposed to per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) through various environmental media and these sources of PFAS exposure coupled with disproportionate co-localization of PFAS-polluting facilities in under-resourced communities may exacerbate disparities in PFAS-associated health risks.

Method: We leveraged two cohorts in Southern California with 8 PFAS concentrations measured in plasma. We obtained PFAS water testing data from the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule and state monitoring data, census tract-level information on food access using the Food Access Research Atlas, the location of Superfund sites on the National Priorities List, and data on facilities known to release PFAS pollutants. These data were then spatially linked to the participants' home addresses.

Results: In the first cohort, we found that detections of PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS in drinking water were associated with 1.54 ng/mL (95% CI: 0.77, 2.32), 0.47 ng/mL (0.25, 0.68), and 1.16 ng/mL (0.62, 1.71) increase in plasma PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS. The presence of Superfund sites was associated with higher plasma concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, PFPeS, and PFHpS (betas [95% CIs]: 0.96 [0.21, 1.71], 0.9 [0.22, 1.58], 0.04 [0.02, 0.06] and 0.05 [0.02, 0.09], respectively). Each additional PFAS-polluting facility present in the neighborhood was associated with a 0.9 ng/mL (0.03, 0.15) increase in the concentration of PFOS. In the other cohort, we found that the presence of Superfund sites was associated with higher plasma PFDA, PFHpS, PFOS (betas [95% CIs]: 0.03 [0.01, 0.06], 0.05 [0.01, 0.09], and 1.96 [0.31, 3.62]). Neighborhood low access to food was associated with a 2.51 ng/mL (0.7, 4.31) increase in plasma PFOS, 0.6 ng/mL (0.16, 1.06) increase in plasma PFOA and 0.06 (0.02, 0.1) increase in plasma PFHpS.

Conclusion: Reducing sources of PFAS exposure in under-resourced neighborhoods may help reduce disparities in human exposure levels.

Keywords: Drinking Water; Food Access; Industry; PFAS; Superfund Site.