Prenatal Exposure to PFAS Tied to ‘Measurable’ Changes in Children’s Brains

A mother’s exposure to “forever chemicals” during pregnancy is linked to measurable changes in her child’s brain by age 5, new research shows.

The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, is the first to comprehensively examine the link between maternal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and structural and functional changes in children’s brains.

The researchers found strong associations between different PFAS exposures among pregnant mothers and different aspects of their children’s brain structure years later, lead author Aaron Barron, Ph.D., told The Defender.

Changes included reduced volumes in different brain regions and changes in functional connectivity patterns across the brain.

The three major regions of the brain affected were the corpus callosum, the brain’s largest white matter tract, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain; the occipital cortex, responsible for vision and visual processing; and the hypothalamus, which regulates hormone levels and metabolism.

They found impacts even at low levels of exposure.