ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2023
Immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in a population with a history of elevated exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water.
Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- In Utero Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposure and Changes in Infant T Helper Cell Development among UPSIDE-ECHO Cohort Participants.Environmental health perspectives · 2026Article
- Association between perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances and response to the COVID-19 vaccine in a paediatric prospective observational cohort in Arizona.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Observational
- Maternal PFAS transfer through lactation: dolphin milk reveals routes of early-life exposure.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2026Article
- Associations of serum PFAS with COVID-19 antibody levels among fully vaccinated adults.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations and anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels following COVID-19 vaccination: A cross-sectional study in three communities with elevated PFAS exposure.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2026Article
- Plastic-Derived Pollutants as Emerging Modifiers of Viral Diseases.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Spike IgG Subclass Titres in a Population with Prior Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA).Toxics · 2026Article
- Prenatal PFAS exposure and offspring health: evidence review and implications for intergenerational risk assessment.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Review
- County-level associations between drinking water PFAS contamination and COVID-19 mortality in the United States.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2025Article
- Early-life exposure to PCBs and PFAS exerts negative effects on the developing central nervous system.Journal of hazardous materials · 2025Review
- Associations of PFAS and OH-PCBs with risk of multiple sclerosis onset and disability worsening.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Fish consumption benefits and PFAS risks: Epidemiology and public health recommendations.Toxicology reports · 2024Review
- Review
- Recent Patterns and Assessment of Long-term Complications followi ngSARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in the Context of Diabet esPrevalence among Blood Donors.Current diabetes reviews · 2024Article
- Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations and longitudinal change in post-infection and post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.Environmental research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been linked to lower vaccine-induced antibody concentrations in children, while data from adults remains limited and equivocal. Characteristics of PFAS exposure and age at vaccination may modify such effects.
objectiveWe used the mass administration of novel COVID-19 vaccines to test the hypothesis that prior exposure to environmentally-relevant concentrations of PFAS affect antibody response to vaccines in adolescents and adults.
methodsBetween April and June 2021, 226 participants aged 12-90 years with a history of exposure to PFAS in drinking water and who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine participated in our prospective cohort study. SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (IgG) were quantified before the first and second vaccine doses and again at two follow-ups in the following months (up to 103 days post dose 1). Serum PFAS concentrations (n = 39 individual PFAS) were measured once for each participant during baseline, before their first vaccination. The association between PFAS exposure and immune response to vaccination was investigated using linear regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models with adjustment for covariates that affect antibody response. PFAS mixture effects were assessed using weighted quantile sum and Bayesian kernel machine regression methods.
resultsThe geometric mean (standard deviation) of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid serum concentrations in this population was 10.49 (3.22) and 3.90 (4.90) µg/L, respectively. PFAS concentrations were not associated with peak anti-spike antibody response, the initial increase in anti-spike antibody response following vaccination, or the waning over time of the anti-spike antibody response. Neither individual PFAS concentrations nor their evaluation as a mixture was associated with antibody response to mRNA vaccination against COVID-19. IMPACT STATEMENT: Given the importance of understanding vaccine response among populations exposed to environmental contaminants and the current gaps in understanding this relationship outside of early life/childhood vaccinations, our manuscript contributes meaningful data from an adolescent and adult population receiving a novel vaccination.
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