Puerto Rico has one of the highest rates of preterm birth and infant mortality in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Northeastern University PROTECT Center)
Researchers from the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Center recently published a studying investigating the effects of PFAS – a class of long-lasting chemicals associated with adverse immune and metabolic effects – on Puerto Rican mothers. Compared to the U.S., Puerto Rico has lower levels of environmental PFAS contamination. This may be the result of the unique geology of the island or from a historical lack of industrial activities that use PFAS, the scientists say. The PROTECT study found that, despite Puerto Rican mothers having lower levels of PFAS than in the U.S. general population, PFAS exposure was still linked to biomarkers of oxidative stress in pregnant Puerto Rican women.
The PROTECT Center is a multi-institution collaboration funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program (SRP) and studies the link between exposure to environmental contaminants and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Puerto Rico, which has some of the highest infant mortality and preterm birth rates in the U.S. Due to a lack of PFAS exposure data from Puerto Rico, these chemicals are poorly characterized in the area. To address this lack of data, the researchers collected blood from pregnant women in the PROTECT cohort in Puerto Rico and analyzed the samples for nine common PFAS compounds. They also assessed urine samples from the women for oxidative stress biomarkers, which are linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes like preterm birth.
According to the authors, PFAS levels in PROTECT participants were generally lower than those found in the U.S. population. However, the researchers found that even lower exposure to some PFAS was still associated with biomarkers of oxidative stress that may be linked to pregnancy complications like preterm birth, maternal high blood pressure, and miscarriage.
Reference
Siwakoti RC, Rosario-Pabon Z, Vélez Vega CM, Hao W, Alshawabkeh A, Cordero JF, Watkins DJ, Meeker JD. 2025. Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and associations with oxidative stress biomarkers among pregnant women from the PROTECT cohort. Sci Total Environ. 973:179130. [Abstract]
