ArticleThe Science of the total environment2023
PFAS levels in paired drinking water and serum samples collected from an exposed community in Central North Carolina.
Article in The Science of the total environment, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- The relationship between PFAS exposure and dyslipidemia: an updated review, meta-analysis, and evaluation of bias.European journal of epidemiology · 2025Pooled it
- A randomized controlled trial of a housing intervention to reduce endocrine disrupting chemical exposures in children.Environment international · 2024Trial
- A Legacy of Exposure: Lactational PFAS Transfer and Early-Life Accumulation in Northern Elephant Seals.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Article
- Is drinking water with low PFAS a significant source of human exposure? Evidence summary.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Review
- Occupation and serum concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: data from the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Annals of work exposures and health · 2026Article
- A new multi-residue method for PFAS analysis in wastewater for environmental and public health risk assessment.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2026Article
- PFAS Contamination and the Impacts of Environmental Turbulence: The Role of Collective Memory and Narrative Epidemiology in Invisible Disaster.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Increasing PFAS concentrations in human serum correlate with elevated blood lipid levels.Environmental science. Advances · 2026Article
- Associations between PFAS in public water system drinking water and serum among Southern California adults.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2026Article
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) induces cytochrome P450 expression and enzymatic activity in well-differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells.The Science of the total environment · 2026Article
- Early exposure to PFAS disrupts neuro-muscular development in zebrafish embryos.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Contamination Characteristics of 21 PFAS in Shellfish and Crustaceans of Zhejiang Province and Exposure Risk Assessment for Adult Dietary Consumers.Marine drugs · 2025Article
- Elevated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in tap water and serum in a community near an abandoned paper mill.Environmental advances · 2025Article
- Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in North Carolina homes: results from the indoor PFAS assessment (IPA) campaign.Environmental science. Processes & impacts · 2025Article
- Hold My Beer: The Linkage between Municipal Water and Brewing Location on PFAS in Popular Beverages.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Structure-specific variation in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances toxicity among genetically diverse Caenorhabditis elegans strains.Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · 2025Article
- Multidimensional library for the improved identification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).Scientific data · 2025Article
- Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid exposure and heat stress on performance and liver health biomarkers in post-pubertal gilts.Journal of animal science · 2025Article
- Examining disparities in PFAS plasma concentrations: Impact of drinking water contamination, food access, proximity to industrial facilities and superfund sites.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Kidney toxicology of a novel compound Lithium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI, ie. HQ-115) used in energy applications: An epigenetic perspective.The Science of the total environment · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The community of Pittsboro, North Carolina has been documented to have extensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in its drinking water source, the Haw River, over the last 20 years. However, a detailed exposure assessment has never been conducted. In this study, we sought to characterize the PFAS in paired drinking water and blood samples collected from a small cohort of Pittsboro residents (n = 49). Drinking water and serum from blood were collected from adults in late 2019 and early 2020 and were analyzed to quantify 13 PFAS analytes. In order to explore potential health effects of PFAS exposure, serum was further analyzed for clinical chemistry endpoints that could be potentially associated with PFAS (e.g., cholesterol, liver function biomarkers). PFAS were detected in all serum samples, and some serum PFAS concentrations were 2 to 4 times higher than the median U.S. serum concentrations reported in the general U.S. population. Of the 13 PFAS in drinking water, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) was measured at the highest concentrations. PFAS levels in the current drinking water were not associated with current serum PFAS, suggesting that the serum PFAS in this cohort likely reflects historical exposure to PFAS with long half-lives (e.g., PFOS and PFOA). However, one PFAS with a shorter half-life (PFHxA) was observed to increase in serum, reflecting the temporal variability of PFHxA in river and drinking water. Statistical analyses indicated that serum PFOA and PFHxS were positively associated with total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol. No serum PFAS was associated with HDL cholesterol. In the clinical chemistry analyses, serum PFHxA was found to be negatively associated with electrolytes and liver enzymes (e.g., AST and ALT), and serum PFOS was found to be positively associated with the ratio of blood urea nitrogen to creatinine (BUN:Cre). While small in size, this study revealed extensive exposure to PFAS in Pittsboro and associations with clinical blood markers, suggesting potential health impacts in community residents.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.