New research is detailing how exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” may affect children’s health from before birth.

According to Just the News, these chemicals contaminate water in more than 2,000 U.S. communities. Studies link them to developmental problems in children, with detectable levels in the blood of most Americans.

A study published in Environmental Science and Technology revealed that newborns are exposed to 42 different PFAS compounds in the womb. Researchers from the United States and Canada examined umbilical cord blood samples from 120 babies born between 2003 and 2006. Advanced non-targeted analysis detected significantly more chemicals than standard targeted tests had found.

Shelley Liu, a biostatistician at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explained the implications. “Our findings suggest that how we measure PFAS really matters. When we look more comprehensively, we see that babies are exposed to far more PFAS chemicals before birth than we previously realized,” she said. 

In childhood, these chemicals appear to be linked to bone development issues. A study of 218 children tracked from birth found that higher PFAS blood levels were associated with lower bone mineral density in early adolescence, notably in the forearm. The difference was similar to levels tied to 10 to 30 percent higher odds of forearm fractures in other research.

Lead author Dr. Jessie Buckley from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said the timing of exposure did not change the overall association. “We found that PFAS chemical exposure in children tended to be related to lower bone strength when they’re young teens,” Buckley stated. “These chemicals may be causing folks to not reach their genetic potential for bone density.”

Links to childhood cancer also emerged in one analysis. Research published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology examined data from Los Angeles and Orange counties in California between 2000 and 2019. It associated PFAS in public water supplies with elevated risks of retinoblastoma and neuroblastoma among children born in affected areas. PFOA is specifically tied to retinoblastoma risk, while PFOS is connected to both cancers.

Michigan has dealt with its own PFAS issues. Michigan News Source has covered contamination from sites such as the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, as well as detections in local beer and deer. Reports there reference research indicating PFAS can lead to developmental delays and higher cancer risks. 

PFAS come from products like food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics, and firefighting foams. They accumulate in the environment and in human bodies over time. Ongoing research continues to track their presence and possible health connections in young people.