New study finds link between PFAS exposure and worse health outcomes for infants

A study conducted by University of Arizona researchers found babies of mothers exposed to PFAS, or forever chemicals, during pregnancy had lower birth weights and higher rates of infant mortality.

Researchers studied births between 2010 and 2019 in New Hampshire, because it was the only state that had data on PFAS contamination sites, groundwater wells and individual births.

The team found outcomes were worse for families whose drinking water was downstream from a contaminated site compared to those whose water was upstream.

Study author Derek Lemoine says PFAS were linked with a three times increase in infant mortality.

“One simple takeaway from our study, leaving aside the policy side of it, is just if you have a pregnant mother in your household, it may not be a crazy thing to do just to filter your water," Lemoine said.

By comparing households who got water downstream from PFAS contamination sites compared to those upstream, the researchers were able to eliminate other lifestyle factors.

The study also found PFAS exposure was linked to $8 billion in social costs on the babies born each year, such as medical care and reduced lifetime earnings.

"For each year's birth cohort, the cost of PFAS exposure from sites like these is at least $8 billion based on the health costs and wage losses and such that they should see throughout the rest of their lives," Lemoine said.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.