U.S. News & World Report: PFAS chemicals tied to later puberty in girls
UC research shows puberty is delayed on average by five to six months
Research out of the University of Cincinnati shows that exposure to PFAs chemicals delays the onset of puberty in girls by an average of five to six months. The research was published in the journal PLOS One. U.S. News & World Report published a story on the study, featuring comments from lead researcher Susan Pinney, MD, of the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in the UC College of Medicine.
Pinney said the study is the first to consider the role hormones play in the delay, which can lead to negative long-term health outcomes for girls, such as a higher incidence of breast cancer, kidney disease and thyroid disease.
Susan Pinney, PhD, of the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand
“Puberty is a window of susceptibility,” Pinney said. “Environmental exposures during puberty, not just to PFAS, but anything, have more of a potential for a long-term health effect. What these have done is extended the window of susceptibility, and it makes them more vulnerable for a longer period of time.”
Researchers examined data from more than 800 girls from the Greater Cincinnati and San Francisco Bay areas who were six to eight years old when they joined the study.
The girls were examined every six to 12 months to see when they experienced the first signs of breast development and pubic hair.
About 85% of the girls in the two geographic groups had measurable levels of PFAS.
Researchers also discovered evidence of decreased hormones that were consistent with findings of the delayed onset of puberty.
“The study found that in girls with PFAS exposure, puberty is delayed five or six months, on average, but there will be some girls where it’s delayed a lot more and others that it wasn’t delayed at all,” Pinney said. “We are especially concerned about the girls at the top end of the spectrum, where it’s delayed more.”
More than 99% of girls in the two groups had measurable levels of PFOA, one of the most important of the PFAS chemicals.
Pinney was also interviewed about PFAS and this study by WVXU. Listen to that program here.
Read more about the study here.
Lead image/SCS Engineers
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