Rate of Decline in Serum PFOA Concentrations after Granular Activated Carbon Filtration at Two Public Water Systems in Ohio and West Virginia

Drinking water in multiple water districts in the Mid-Ohio Valley has been contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which was released by a nearby DuPont chemical plant. Two highly contaminated water districts began granular activated carbon filtration in 2007.To determine the rate of decline in serum PFOA, and its corresponding half-life, during the first year after filtration.Up to six blood samples were collected from each of 200 participants from May 2007 until August 2008. The primary source of drinking water varied over time for some participants; our analyses were grouped according to water source at baseline in May-June 2007.For Lubeck Public Service District customers, the average decrease in serum PFOA concentrations between May-June 2007 and May-August 2008 was 32 ng/mL (26%) for those primarily consuming public water at home (n = 130), and 16 ng/mL (28%) for those primarily consuming bottled water at home (n = 17). For Little Hocking Water Association customers, the average decrease in serum PFOA concentrations between November-December 2007 and May-June 2008 was 39 ng/mL (11%) for consumers of public water (n = 39) and 28 ng/mL (20%) for consumers of bottled water (n = 11). The covariate-adjusted average rate of decrease in serum PFOA concentration after water filtration was 26% per year (95% confidence interval, 2528% per year).The observed data are consistent with first-order elimination and a median serum PFOA half-life of 2.3 years. Ongoing follow-up will lead to improved half-life estimation

Gestational and Chronic Low-Dose PFOA Exposures and Mammary Gland Growth and Differentiation in Three Generations of CD-1 Mice

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a ubiquitous industrial surfactant, has been reported to delay mammary gland development in female mouse offspring (F1) and the treated lactating dam (P0) after gestational treatments at 3 and 5 mg PFOA/kg/day

Comparison of polyfluoroalkyl compound concentrations in maternal serum and amniotic fluid: A pilot study

The extent to which polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) are detectable in amniotic fluid is unknown. Using paired samples from 28 women, we compared the concentration of 8 PFCs measured in serum, the standard matrix for assessing human exposure, amniotic fluid from routine amniocentesis, and urine. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) were detected in all maternal serum samples. The number of amniotic fluid samples with detectable concentrations differed by PFC (PFOA n=24; PFNA n=10; PFOS n=9; PFHxS n=4). The correlation coefficient between maternal serum and amniotic PFC levels varied considerably by PFC (PFOA ρ=0.64, p<0.001; PFNA ρ=0.05, p=0.9; PFOS ρ=0.76, p=0.01; PFHxS ρ=0.80, p=0.2). Using linear regression, PFOA appeared to be commonly detected in amniotic fluid if the serum concentration exceeded approximately 1.5 ng/mL whereas PFOS was rarely detected in amniotic fluid until the serum concentration was about 5.5 ng/mL. No PFCs were detected in urine

Pilot study to estimate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxyurea and methotrexate recurrent langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH-HU-pilot)

This study was a non-blinded, multicenter, single-arm study. Recurrent (relapsed) LCH is defined as the appearance of new lesions or the enlargement of preexisting lesions due to LCH. In this study, all patients received hydroxyurea, and if the treatment response was unsatisfactory, methotrexate was added. The duration of treatment was 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was the rate of non-active disease achievement, which was 24 weeks after initiating hydroxyurea administration. No active disease is defined as the resolution of all the signs and symptoms related to LCH