Veronica Vieira, chair and professor of environmental and occupational health, led a study linking early exposure to PFAS “forever chemicals” to increased risk of childhood leukemia.
Photo Credit: Steve Zylius / UC Irvine
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: PFAS Exposure and Childhood Leukemia
The Core Concept: Early-life exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely known as "forever chemicals," is directly associated with an elevated risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike previous methodologies that estimated chemical exposure primarily through municipal drinking water data, this research directly measures persistent environmental contaminants at birth. By analyzing newborn dried blood spots, scientists can capture the exact chemical burden accumulating in the body during critical, highly vulnerable windows of early development.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Direct Biomarker Analysis: Utilization of newborn dried blood spots to secure precise measurements of early-life contaminant exposure.
- Primary Contaminant Profiling: Detection of 17 established PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS presenting at the highest levels and correlating directly with increased leukemia risk.
- Emerging Chemical Identification: Identification of 26 additional, rarely monitored PFAS compounds that demonstrate similar pathological patterns.
- Cumulative Risk Assessment: Evaluation indicating that combined, simultaneous exposure to multiple "forever chemicals" compounds the overall risk of developing cancer.
Branch of Science: Environmental Epidemiology, Toxicology, Public Health, and Pediatric Oncology.
Future Application: The methodology and data will likely inform stricter governmental regulations and safety thresholds regarding PFAS in consumer products (e.g., nonstick cookware, food packaging) and drinking water. It may also lead to enhanced neonatal screening protocols and targeted preventative interventions for at-risk demographics.
Why It Matters: PFAS are ubiquitous in modern manufacturing and do not naturally degrade, leading to widespread, persistent environmental contamination. Establishing a direct link between fetal/infant exposure to these chemicals and early-onset cancer is critical for driving global public health policies designed to reduce systemic exposure and protect vulnerable populations.
Early exposure to PFAS, a group of widely used compounds known as “forever chemicals,” was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, according to University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health researchers.
PFAS are found in drinking water, food and beverage containers, and everyday items like nonstick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics. They don’t break down easily and can build up in the body over time.
The study adds to earlier research by the same team, which tracked PFAS exposure in drinking water among more than 40,000 California children. That work, published in Environmental Epidemiology, linked higher levels of two common PFAS chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, to increased risk of several childhood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia and Wilms tumor.
In their new study, the researchers analyzed dried blood spots collected from newborns to get a clearer picture of early exposure. The study included 125 children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 219 children without cancer, all born in Los Angeles County between 2000 and 2015, and identified through the California Linkage Study of Early-onset Cancers.
Among 17 PFAS detected in the newborn blood, PFOA and PFOS showed up at the highest levels. Children with higher levels had increased odds of developing leukemia, though the estimates were not precise. Risk also appeared to rise with combined exposure to the two chemicals.
Researchers also identified 26 additional PFAS compounds, several of which showed similar patterns, including some that have rarely been studied.
Stronger links were seen among non-Hispanic children, though researchers cautioned that those findings are preliminary due to small sample sizes.
“This research moves us closer to understanding what babies are exposed to from the very start by directly measuring PFAS present at birth, rather than estimating exposure from drinking water,” said corresponding author Veronica Vieira, chair and professor of environmental and occupational health at Wen Public Health. “By capturing exposures during a critical window of development, we are gaining a clearer picture of how environmental contaminants may contribute to childhood cancer risk.”
The study does not prove cause and effect, but it adds to growing evidence that PFAS exposure early in life may contribute to cancer risk in children.
As PFAS contamination remains widespread, researchers say more studies are needed to understand how this persistent class of chemicals, the majority of which remain largely unmonitored, may affect children’s health and how exposure can be reduced at the population level.
Funding: The research was supported by a National Institutes of Health grant.
Published in journal: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
Authors: Veronica M. Vieira, Sheng Liu, Libby M. Morimoto, Jeremy Koelmel, Natalie R. Binczewski, Joseph L. Wiemels, Xiaomei Ma, Krystal J. Godri Pollitt, and Catherine Metayer
Source/Credit: University of California, Irvine
Reference Number: epi042726_01