Per and polyfluorated substances and the risk of infections

Access to safe drinking water is a necessity for health and a human right.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) is a group of persistent environmental chemical contaminants that are widespread in the environment, including drinking water and sometimes at alarmingly high concentrations.

PFAS exposure has been linked to a multitude of adverse outcomes, including immunotoxic effects such as decreased antibody response following vaccination. Data on infections, which are the clinically relevant endpoints of a decreased antibody response, are however scarce.

Because most people in Sweden consume drinking water daily, and that the knowledge on drinking water production and distribution is high, Sweden is ideal for assessing drinking water-related health effects.

The overall aim of this research proposal is to generate new knowledge on immune related health effects of PFAS in drinking water in women and children.

The project comprises: i) a large scale register-based study assessing the association of PFAS in drinking water and the risk of infectious disease among pregnant women in Sweden, ii) a survey on children age 18 months and 4-years, evaluating the association of PFAS in food and drinking water as well as in biological specimens with risk of infections, and iii) a large register-based cohort of children (0-5-years, 2012-2022), assessing the association of toxico-kinetically modeled prenatal PFAS exposure and risk of subsequent infectious disease.