PFCs work against vax immunities in kids, Harvard research shows

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), commonly used in Teflon, stain-resistant carpeting, rain gear, fast food packaging, and microwave popcorn bags, may hinder children’s immune responses to vaccinations, finds a study, "Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds," reports Alice Park of Time.

Researchers, led by Philippe Grandjean, at left, head of research for environmental medicine, University of Southern Denmark and adjunct professor, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed data on 578 children born at National Hospital in the Faroe Islands (Denmark) during 1999-2001. The location was chosen because PFC levels there were on the rise in drinking water and fish -- and those levels were similar to the ones seen in American children who are exposed through household dust.

Researchers measured maternal pregnancy serum and the childrens' serum at age 5 to determine prenatal and postnatal exposure to PFCs. Children were then tested for immune response to tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations at ages 5 and 7.

The study was published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) [emphases ours].

When the researchers compared the participants’ antibody levels to the levels of PFCs in their blood, they were surprised to find that higher levels of PFCs were linked with a lower immune response.

In fact, kids whose PFC levels were twice as high had half the amount of antibodies to diphtheria and tetanus, compared with children who tested lower for PFCs. At age 7, kids with a twofold increase in PFC levels were also two to four times more likely to show an immune response that was so low that it was no longer clinically protective.

“We were kind of shocked when we saw those numbers,” says Grandjean.  “This is the first study to say that by [exposing children to these chemicals], we are screwing up a major aspect of disease prevention in our society. I’ve been in the field for quite a while, and this is a very strong signal.”

Other studies have found similar effects on the immune system associated with environmental toxins such as PCBs and dioxin, but the PFC effect on immunity seems to be stronger, says Grandjean. That’s a particular concern since PFCs have a half-life in the body of at least four years, meaning that it takes four years to reduce by half the amount of PFCs absorbed at any given time.

The scientists also looked at how prenatal exposure to the chemicals might influence infants’ immunity, and found that a twofold increase of PFCs in an expectant mother’s blood was linked to a 39% lower concentration of antibodies in 5-year-olds (before their booster), compared with those whose moms had lower levels of PFCs.

Written for California's Children by Elizabeth J Carlyle.