Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration after High Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances through Contaminated Drinking Water: A Cohort Study from Ronneby, Sweden

There is concern that immunotoxic environmental contaminants, particularly perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), may play a role in the clinical course of COVID-19 and epidemiologic studies are needed to answer if high-exposed populations are especially vulnerable in light of the ongoing pandemic. The objective was, therefore, to determine if exposure to highly PFAS-contaminated drinking water was associated with an increased incidence of COVID-19 in Ronneby, Sweden, during the first year of the pandemic. We conducted an ecological study determining the sex- and age-standardized incidence ratio (SIR) in the adult population relative to a neighboring reference town with similar demographic characteristics but with only background levels of exposure. In Sweden, COVID-19 is subject to mandatory reporting, and we retrieved aggregated data on all verified cases until 3 March 2021 from the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The SIR in Ronneby was estimated at 1.19 (95% CI: 1.12; 1.27). The results suggest a potential link between high PFAS exposure and susceptibility to COVID-19 that warrants further research to clarify causality.

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Drug use disorder following early life exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-contaminated drinking water: a retrospective cohort study

Environmental Health ◽

10.1186/s12940-020-00638-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ann Aschengrau ◽

Alexandra Grippo ◽

Michael R. Winter ◽

Margaret G. Shea ◽

Roberta F. White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Drug Use ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Early Life ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Contaminated Drinking Water ◽

Drug Use Disorder

Abstract Background Many studies of adults with occupational exposure to solvents such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have shown adverse effects on cognition, mood and behavioral problems. Much less is known about neurotoxic effects in early life at lower exposure levels seen in community settings. We recently reported that illicit drug use was more frequent among adults from Cape Cod, Massachusetts who were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water during gestation and early childhood than their unexposed counterparts. Using newly collected data from this population-based retrospective cohort study, the current analysis examines whether early life PCE exposure is also associated with drug use disorder over the life course. Methods Three-hundred and sixty-three subjects with prenatal and early childhood PCE exposure and 255 unexposed subjects were studied. These individuals (median age: 40–41 years) completed self-administered questionnaires on the eleven established diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder and confounding variables. A validated leaching and transport model was used to estimate exposure to PCE-contaminated water. Results Overall, 23.3% of subjects reported having at least one criterion for drug use disorder over their lifetime. Early life PCE exposure was associated with a modest increase in the lifetime presence of one or more diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder (adjusted RR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0–1.8). Compared to unexposed subjects, PCE-exposed subjects were more likely to report having most diagnostic criteria of drug use disorder, including neglecting major roles due to drug use, physical and psychological problems related to drug use, and giving up activities due to drug use. No dose-response relationships were observed with increasing levels of PCE exposure. Conclusions These results suggest that exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water during early life modestly increases the risk of developing diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder later in life. Because this study has several limitations, these findings should be confirmed in follow-up investigations of other exposed populations with more diverse racial and socioeconomic characteristics.

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Inflammatory bowel disease and biomarkers of gut inflammation and permeability in a community with high exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances through drinking water

Environmental Research ◽

10.1016/j.envres.2019.108923 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 181 ◽

pp. 108923 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yiyi Xu ◽

Ying Li ◽

Kristin Scott ◽

Christian H. Lindh ◽

Kristina Jakobsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Bowel Disease ◽

Perfluoroalkyl Substances ◽

High Exposure ◽

Gut Inflammation ◽

Inflammatory Bowel

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Drug use disorder following early life exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-contaminated drinking water: a retrospective cohort study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31380/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ann Aschengrau ◽

Alexandra Grippo ◽

Michael R. Winter ◽

Margaret G. Shea ◽

Roberta F. White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Drug Use ◽

Diagnostic Criteria ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Early Life ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Contaminated Drinking Water ◽

Drug Use Disorder

Abstract Background: Many studies of adults with occupational exposure to solvents such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have shown adverse effects on cognition, mood and behavioral problems. Much less is known about neurotoxic effects in early life at lower exposure levels seen in community settings. We recently reported that illicit drug use was more frequent among adults from Cape Cod, Massachusetts who were exposed to PCE-contaminated drinking water during gestation and early childhood than their unexposed counterparts. Using newly collected data from this population-based retrospective cohort study, the current analysis examines whether early life PCE exposure is also associated with drug use disorder over the life course.Methods: Three-hundred and sixty-three subjects with prenatal and early childhood PCE exposure and 255 unexposed subjects were studied. These individuals (median age: 40-41 years) completed self-administered questionnaires on the eleven established diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder and confounding variables. A validated leaching and transport model was used to estimate exposure to PCE-contaminated water. Results: Overall, 23.3% of subjects reported having at least one criterion for drug use disorder over their lifetime. Early life PCE exposure was associated with a modest increase in the lifetime presence of one or more diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder (adjusted RR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-1.8). Compared to unexposed subjects, PCE-exposed subjects were more likely to report having most diagnostic criteria of drug use disorder, including neglecting major roles due to drug use, physical and psychological problems related to drug use, and giving up activities due to drug use. No dose-response relationships were observed with increasing levels of PCE exposure. Conclusions: These results suggest that exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water during early life modestly increases the risk of developing diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder later in life. Because this study has several limitations, these findings should be confirmed in follow-up investigations of other exposed populations with more diverse racial and socioeconomic characteristics.

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