Children who are exposed to PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, prenatally and soon after birth have been found to have lower bone mineral density during childhood and adolescence.

Previous studies looking at early PFAS exposure on bone health measured bone mineral density before adolescence, but almost 40 percent of a person's total bone mineral density is acquired during the teenage years.

Tweens who had higher levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) had lower bone mineral density in their forearm at each time point.

“Adolescence is a key time for building strong bones,” the first author of the study, Jessie Buckley, told TheDoctor. Achieving optimal bone mass during adolescence helps reduce a person's risk of fractures and osteoporosis over a lifetime, she added.

Researchers from the U.S. and Canada recently examined the relationship between PFAS exposure and bone mineral density at ages three, eight and 12 years old. They measured serum concentrations of four different per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances — perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorononanoic acid — in over 200 children who were part of the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME).

Bone mineral density measurements of each child's whole body, lumbar spine, hip and lower forearm at age 12 were also taken.

Tweens who had higher levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) had lower bone mineral density in their forearm at each time point, a finding seen in other studies of the same four PFAS as the current study.

The association between the other three PFAS and bone mineral density varied, which suggests that certain periods of human development are more vulnerable than others to the effects of PFAS exposure, the researchers explained.

The researchers also found that the connection between PFAS exposure and lower bone mineral density was stronger among girls than boys.

It is hard to avoid PFAS exposure given that the source of exposure is not always clear. Because of their stain- and water-resistant properties, PFAS are found in many different industrial and consumer products such as food packaging.

Achieving optimal bone mass during adolescence helps reduce a person's risk of fractures and osteoporosis over a lifetime.

There are ways to reduce the effects of PFAS exposure. Buckley, a professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, explained: “In our study, the children who got more exercise or ate a healthier diet had fewer effects from PFAS.” Calcium intake is also important for limiting the effects of PFAS on bone health, according to the researchers.

The study is published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.