Kimberly Yolton

Few methods have been used to characterize repeatedly measured biomarkers of chemical mixtures. We applied latent profile analysis (LPA) to serum concentrations of 4 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) measured at 4 time points from gestation to age 12 years. We evaluated the relationships between profiles and z scores of height, body mass index, fat mass index, and lean body mass index at age 12 years (n = 218). We compared LPA findings with an alternative approach for cumulative PFAS mixtures using g-computation to estimate the effect of simultaneously increasing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for all PFAS. We identified 2 profiles: a higher PFAS profile (35% of sample) and a lower PFAS profile (relative to each other), based on their average PFAS concentrations at all time points. The higher PFAS profile had generally lower z scores for all outcomes, with somewhat larger effects for males, though all 95% CIs crossed the null. For example, the higher PFAS profile was associated with a 0.50-unit lower (β = −0.50; 95% CI, −1.07 to 0.08) BMI z score among males but not among females (β = 0.04; 95% CI, −0.45 to 0.54). We observed similar patterns with AUCs. We found that a higher childhood PFAS profile and higher cumulative PFAS mixtures may be associated with altered growth in early adolescence. This article is part of a Special Collection on Environmental Epidemiology.

(1) Background: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are indoor pollutants absorbed by inhalation. The association of several VOCs with lung function in children and adolescents is unknown. (2) Methods: We analyzed 505 participants, 6–17-year-olds from the 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to estimate the associations of VOC metabolites with spirometry outcomes adjusting for covariates. (3) Results: Urinary metabolites of xylene, acrylamide, acrolein, 1,3-butadiene, cyanide, toluene, 1-bromopropane, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, styrene, ethylbenzene, and crotonaldehyde were all detected in ≥64.5% of participants. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted was lower in participants with higher levels of metabolites of acrylamide (β: −7.95, 95% CI: −13.69, −2.21) and styrene (β: −6.33, 95% CI: −11.60, −1.07), whereas the FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio % was lower in children with higher propylene oxide metabolite levels (β: −2.05, 95% CI: −3.49, −0.61). FEV1 % predicted was lower with higher crotonaldehyde metabolite levels only in overweight/obese participants (β: −15.42, 95% CI: −26.76, −4.08) (Pinteraction < 0.001) and with higher 1-bromopropane metabolite levels only in those with serum cotinine > 1 ng/mL (β: −6.26, 95% CI: −9.69, −2.82) (Pinteraction < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: We found novel associations of metabolites for acrylamide, propylene oxide, styrene, 1-bromopropane and crotonaldehyde with lower lung function in children and adolescents.