Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water

Abstract Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may disrupt thyroid hormones although the literature shows mixed evidence of this effect and exposure to mixtures of PFAS remains poorly understood. We used the Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study cohort to examine linear and nonlinear associat...

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Main Authors: Taylor S. Noyes, Laura M. Abington, T. Joost van ‘t Erve, Ling Wang, Jennifer M. McDonald, Elizabeth A. Wasilevich, Jennifer S. Gray, Timothy A. Karrer, Kristine Smith, Jordan M. Bailey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91977-y
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author Taylor S. Noyes
Laura M. Abington
T. Joost van ‘t Erve
Ling Wang
Jennifer M. McDonald
Elizabeth A. Wasilevich
Jennifer S. Gray
Timothy A. Karrer
Kristine Smith
Jordan M. Bailey
author_facet Taylor S. Noyes
Laura M. Abington
T. Joost van ‘t Erve
Ling Wang
Jennifer M. McDonald
Elizabeth A. Wasilevich
Jennifer S. Gray
Timothy A. Karrer
Kristine Smith
Jordan M. Bailey
author_sort Taylor S. Noyes
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may disrupt thyroid hormones although the literature shows mixed evidence of this effect and exposure to mixtures of PFAS remains poorly understood. We used the Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study cohort to examine linear and nonlinear associations between serum PFAS concentrations, both alone and as a mixture, and serum thyroid hormone concentrations. Study participants included 728 adolescents and adults living in an area with past PFAS contamination of drinking water. We quantified 39 individual PFAS and four thyroid hormones in serum from participants between the years 2020 and 2021. Linear regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, supervised Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) were used. When analyzed individually, a 1% increase in PFUnA serum concentrations was associated with a 0.023% decrease in TT3 concentration (95% CI: -0.04%, -0.01%, p < 0.05). All three mixture analyses consistently indicated an inverse relationship between PFAS mixtures and TT3 concentrations: (1) a one standard deviation increase in the WQS of the PFAS mixture was associated with a 2.0% decrease in TT3 concentration (95% CI= -4%, 0%, p < 0.05) adjusting for covariates, (2) using PCA, one standard deviation increase in a PFAS mixture was associated with a 1.2% decrease in TT3 (95% CI: -2.1%, -0.4%), and (3) BKMR similarly suggested a negative association between the PFAS mixture and TT3. We observed cross-sectional associations between a mixture of serum PFAS concentrations and thyroid hormone dysregulation, largely manifesting as decreased TT3 serum concentrations.
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spelling doaj-art-e21aaf926ba04dadb22d4d2cf7a591862025-08-20T03:10:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-91977-yPer and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking waterTaylor S. Noyes0Laura M. Abington1T. Joost van ‘t Erve2Ling Wang3Jennifer M. McDonald4Elizabeth A. Wasilevich5Jennifer S. Gray6Timothy A. Karrer7Kristine Smith8Jordan M. Bailey9Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauDepartment of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State UniversityMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauDivision of Chemistry and Toxicology, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of LaboratoriesDivision of Infectious Disease, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of LaboratoriesMichigan Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Health BureauAbstract Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may disrupt thyroid hormones although the literature shows mixed evidence of this effect and exposure to mixtures of PFAS remains poorly understood. We used the Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study cohort to examine linear and nonlinear associations between serum PFAS concentrations, both alone and as a mixture, and serum thyroid hormone concentrations. Study participants included 728 adolescents and adults living in an area with past PFAS contamination of drinking water. We quantified 39 individual PFAS and four thyroid hormones in serum from participants between the years 2020 and 2021. Linear regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, supervised Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) were used. When analyzed individually, a 1% increase in PFUnA serum concentrations was associated with a 0.023% decrease in TT3 concentration (95% CI: -0.04%, -0.01%, p < 0.05). All three mixture analyses consistently indicated an inverse relationship between PFAS mixtures and TT3 concentrations: (1) a one standard deviation increase in the WQS of the PFAS mixture was associated with a 2.0% decrease in TT3 concentration (95% CI= -4%, 0%, p < 0.05) adjusting for covariates, (2) using PCA, one standard deviation increase in a PFAS mixture was associated with a 1.2% decrease in TT3 (95% CI: -2.1%, -0.4%), and (3) BKMR similarly suggested a negative association between the PFAS mixture and TT3. We observed cross-sectional associations between a mixture of serum PFAS concentrations and thyroid hormone dysregulation, largely manifesting as decreased TT3 serum concentrations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91977-yPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substancesPFASEpidemiologyEndocrine disruptionThyroid hormoneMixture analysis
spellingShingle Taylor S. Noyes
Laura M. Abington
T. Joost van ‘t Erve
Ling Wang
Jennifer M. McDonald
Elizabeth A. Wasilevich
Jennifer S. Gray
Timothy A. Karrer
Kristine Smith
Jordan M. Bailey
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
Scientific Reports
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
PFAS
Epidemiology
Endocrine disruption
Thyroid hormone
Mixture analysis
title Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
title_full Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
title_fullStr Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
title_full_unstemmed Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
title_short Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
title_sort per and polyfluoroalkyl substances affect thyroid hormones for people with a history of exposure from drinking water
topic Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
PFAS
Epidemiology
Endocrine disruption
Thyroid hormone
Mixture analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91977-y
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