Grantee Research Project Results

2011 Progress Report: PFOA Concentration in Serum Collected 1991-2008 and Related Health Effects

EPA Grant Number: R834788
Title: PFOA Concentration in Serum Collected 1991-2008 and Related Health Effects
Investigators: Pinney, Susan M. , Succop, Paul , Bornschein, Robert
Current Investigators: Pinney, Susan M. , Biro, Frank M. , Succop, Paul , Herrick, Robert , Bornschein, Robert
Institution: University of Cincinnati
Current Institution: University of Cincinnati , Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: February 1, 2011 through January 31, 2013 (Extended to January 31, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: February 1, 2011 through January 31,2012
Project Amount: $499,980
RFA: Exploring Linkages Between Health Outcomes and Environmental Hazards, Exposures, and Interventions for Public Health Tracking and Risk Management (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health

Objective:

The objective of this research is to measure PFC concentrations in archived serum from the established Fernald Community Cohort, with samples obtained during an 18-year period from 1991 to 2008, and test for associations between serum PFOA concentration and early biological indicators of disease such as biomarkers of inflammation, elevated hepatic enzymes, and changes in levels of triglycerides, cholesterol and thyroid hormones, using a database of clinical information for that cohort.

Progress Summary:

This project year was spent identifying and recruiting study participants, collecting questionnaire data and locating and removing their serum and urine biospecimens from the Fernald Community Cohort biospecimen repository. Eligibility requirements for this study, for members of the established FCC, included having at least one address in the FCC database, in 1980 or later, where their public drinking water supply would come from the Ohio River. We then verified that we had at least one archived serum sample and one urine sample from these persons. We have designed additional questionnaires for this project, including both a water consumption questionnaire and a questionnaire to update the residential history to the current time and to collect addresses where the participant may have lived between the addresses given at the time of physical examination or questionnaire data collection as part of the Fernald Medical Monitoring Program (FMMP), the predecessor to the FCC. The residential history questionnaire was designed using a technique we have used in the past, which results in an individualized report/questionnaire for each study participant. Using the mail merge function in Microsoft Word, we input into each questionnaire all of the mailing addresses we have in our database for that study participant, and asked them to verify the information and add additional addresses and dates when they lived at that address and a drinking water source for each address. We pre-tested the questionnaire among community members who are on our FCC Advisory Board and staff and grad students in our Department of Environmental Health. As a slight deviation from the submitted study protocol, we first determined who would return the questionnaire before submitting the samples to the CDC laboratories for analyses of perfluoroalkyl chemicals in serum and metals in urine. We did not want to send biospecimens for these expensive analyses if we did not have the residential history and water consumption data needed for exposure characterization. Packets (N = 447) were mailed to eligible participants in January; a total of 262 questionnaires have been returned to date. Of those, eight were from proxies of deceased participants, a spouse or adult child, and one from a proxy of a person with dementia.

Future Activities:

A validation study for proxy beverage consumption questionnaires will be performed among related members of the study population. We will begin analysis of exposure data, conducting statistical analyses to determine if there are associations between serum PFOA concentration, residence location and calendar year, drinking water source, other lifestyle factors, and biological indicators of early physiologic effect. Previously collected extensive questionnaire data from the FMMP database will be used explore the relationship between pregnancy and breast feeding and serum PFOA concentrations in exposed women. Individual and whole cohort serum PFC concentrations and urine uranium concentrations will be distributed to study participants who wish to receive their results upon receipt from the CDC.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 5 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Epidemiology, PFOA, cytokines, lymphocytes, exposure characterization, residential history, drinking water consumption, lactation, proxy questionnaires

Relevant Websites:

http://www.eh.uc.edu/fmmp Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.