A new peer-reviewed study raises fresh concerns about how exposure to the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS may affect health from the very start of life – and how to most effectively tackle contamination from multiple PFAS.
The study reveals a sobering reality: Babies are exposed to a much wider and complex mixture of PFAS before they even take their first breath.
The research, published in Environmental Science & Technology, used advanced screening methods to analyze umbilical cord blood collected at birth from 120 babies between 2003 and 2006 in Cincinnati.
Researchers identified 42 individual PFAS, only four of which were detected using the standard test methods typically employed in research labs.
New way to measure exposure
For decades, scientists have been limited in their ability to calculate the extent of PFAS exposure in the uterus. Laboratory standards exist for only a small fraction of the thousands of PFAS in use.
Traditional targeted analysis looks for a short list of well-known chemicals like PFOA and PFOS – two of the most notorious and well-studied PFAS. If a particular PFAS isn’t on the list, it doesn’t get counted, so thousands go undetected.
To address this limitation, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai used advanced screening and data science tools to scan for hundreds of PFAS compounds at once, including those without official reference standards.
Measuring body burden
People aren’t exposed to just one PFAS at a time. They’re exposed to complex chemical mixtures. To better reflect this reality, the researchers developed a new scoring system to convey a newborn’s total prenatal exposure.
- The PFAS exposure burden score. This traditional score is based on the concentrations of well-known legacy PFAS, such as PFOA and PFOS.
- The “PFAS-omics” score. This broader score created by the researchers incorporates the legacy chemicals, a range of newer, understudied PFAS, including “replacements,” and breakdown products, which are detected through nontargeted screening.
This dual-scoring method led to a significant discovery relating to PFAS exposure and the number of times a person has given birth.
For years, studies using limited test panels found PFAS levels in first-born babies to be much higher than in younger siblings. The working theory was that the pregnant person releases part of their stored chemical burden to the developing fetus and, later, to the newborn during breastfeeding.
This study confirmed that pattern for older, phased-out chemicals. But the disparity, between first-born and subsequent newborns, disappeared when the researchers looked at the more comprehensive PFAS-omics score.
This finding suggests that while levels of older, phased-out PFAS may decline in the pregnant body over the course of successive pregnancies, exposure to PFAS as a larger class appears to be ongoing and consistent.
In other words, how we measure PFAS matters.
Critical window for fetus
Pregnancy is a critical window for the developing fetus. But any PFAS exposure during that period, while its organs and immune systems are forming, can have serious consequences.
Research has linked prenatal PFAS exposure to low birth weight, preterm birth, weakened vaccine response, higher risks of certain types of cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage and immune suppression later in life.
Studies also show that even fairly low levels of PFAS in drinking water can increase blood levels and raise the risk of premature birth and infant harm. These health consequences contribute to about $8 billion a year in U.S. medical costs.
The ‘everywhere’ problem
PFAS have been detected in drinking water at 9,552 sites in the U.S., putting an estimated 172 million people at risk of exposure.
Although the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first national drinking water limits for several PFAS in 2024, it is dragging its heels in enforcing the new standards.
Now the EPA is moving to roll back standards for some PFAS, leaving many communities exposed.
A second study published last week addresses indoor PFAS exposures.
Research on household dust in Rochester, N.Y., found 43 individual PFAS in every sample tested. Homes with more carpet and upholstered furniture showed higher concentrations of certain PFAS, demonstrating how everyday household items continuously shed these chemicals into the air families breathe.
Together, the two papers underscore just how widespread this exposure is.
While communities near industrial sites or military bases often face the highest contamination, this research makes clear that PFAS are not just a localized pollution issue. For many families, PFAS exposure comes from routine daily life.
What you can do to protect your family
PFAS are used in, and shed from, scores of everyday products, creating constant, low-level exposure from multiple sources.
You can take these steps now:
- Check your tap water. Look up your water system using EWG’s Tap Water Database.
- Filter your water. Use reverse osmosis or activated carbon filters certified to reduce PFAS. Make sure to change the filter as directed, because otherwise you could just make the PFAS pollution worse.
- Swap cookware. Choose stainless steel, cast iron or glass instead of nonstick pans.
- Check your personal care products. PFAS are often hidden in cosmetics labeled “long wear,” “waterproof” or “smudge proof.”
- Look up products to see whether they contain PFAS. The Healthy Living app includes ingredient information and ratings for cleaning products.
- Avoid treated products. Skip rugs, furniture and clothing labeled “stain resistant,” “water repellent” or “wrinkle resistant.” These treatments often rely on PFAS coatings that can wear down and shed into the air and dust in your home.
- Reduce dust. Vacuum frequently with a machine using a HEPA filter and wet-dust surfaces regularly.
Urgent need to tackle the crisis
These two new studies – one revealing 42 PFAS in cord blood from 20 years ago, another finding 43 types of PFAS in household dust today – deliver an urgent and sobering message: PFAS must be regulated as a class, not one chemical at a time.
Evidence suggests that even two decades ago, people were exposed to far more PFAS than standard tests captured. Today, as exposure has shifted to newer, short-chain replacement chemicals, the problem has just grown more complex. The ubiquity of PFAS mixtures in cord blood, household dust, drinking water and food makes clear that class-based regulation is essential.
With more detailed tests, scientists are finally revealing the scope of this chemical burden affecting families long before a child is born and throughout daily life.
The urgent question now is whether policymakers will act quickly enough to protect the next generation from these widespread, persistent forever chemicals – or whether children will continue to bear an ever-growing burden of PFAS from their first breath onward.