View article

Pediatric thyroid diseases have been increasing in recent years. Environmental risk factors such as exposures to chemical contaminants may play a role but are largely unexplored. Archived neonatal dried blood spots (DBS) offer an innovative approach to investigate environmental exposures and effects.

In this pilot study, we applied a new method for quantifying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to 18 archived DBS from babies born in California from 1985–2018 and acquired thyroid hormone measurements from newborn screening tests. Leveraging these novel data, we evaluated (1) changes in the concentrations of eight PFAS over time and (2) the relationship between PFAS concentrations, thyroid hormone concentrations, and neonatal characteristics to inform future research.

PFAS concentrations in DBS were measured using ultra-high-performance liquid …