Association of serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl compounds with poor growth and failure to weight gain in 2-year-old children

Results Among fifteen PFCs analyzed, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) were detected in >90% of the serum samples. The number of chemicals above median concentrations among these 5 PFCs were graded on a scale of 0 to 5, and classified into exposure (0) (n = 97), exposure (1-2) (n = 88), and exposure (≥3) groups. After adjusting for sex, birth weight, MPH, and BA, log-transformed PFHxS, PFOS, PFOA, and PFDA were associated with a 1.60, 1.35, 1.57, 1.29 cm decrease in height (all P < 0.005). Logtransformed PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA were negatively related to weight gain (all P < 0.05). Change in weight Z-scores decreased progressively from exposure (0), to exposure (1-2), and to exposure (≥3) (mean +0.43 vs. +0.29 vs. +0.10, P = 0.012).