Background: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFASs) are suspected thyroid toxicants, but results from epidemiological studies are inconsistent.
Objectives: We examined associations between serum PFASs and thyroid hormones (THs) in a representative, cross-sectional sample of U.S. adults. We hypothesized that people with high thyroid peroxidase antibodies and low iodine would be more susceptible to PFAS-induced thyroid disruption.
Methods: Our sample included 1,525 adults (≥ 18 years) from the 2007-2008 NHANES study with available serum PFASs and THs. We examined associations between four serum PFASs [perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)], and serum THs [free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), fT3/fT4, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total T3 (TT3), and total T4 (TT4)] using multivariable linear regression. We stratified subjects into four groups by two indicators of thyroid "stress": thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb ≥ 9 IU/mL) and iodine status (< 100 μg/L urine).
Results: Of 1,525 participants, 400 (26%) had low iodine only (T0I1), 87 (6%) had high TPOAb only (T1I0), and 26 (2%) had both high TPOAb and low iodine (T1I1). In general, associations were similar among participants in the groups with neither (T0I0) or only one thyroid stressor (T0I1 or T1I0), suggesting that PFAS-TH associations were not modified by high TPOAb or low iodine alone. However, PFHxS and PFOS were negatively associated (p < 0.05) with fT4, and all four PFASs were positively associated (p < 0.05) with fT3, fT3/fT4, TSH, and TT3 in the group with joint exposure to high TPOAb and low iodine (T1I1).
Conclusions: We found evidence of PFAS-associated thyroid disruption in a subset of U.S. adults with high TPOAb (a marker of autoimmune hypothyroidism) and low iodine status, who may represent a vulnerable subgroup. However, the small sample size, cross-sectional design, and possibility of reverse causation are limitations of this work.
Citation: Webster GM, Rauch SA, Ste Marie N, Mattman A, Lanphear BP, Venners SA. 2016. Cross-sectional associations of serum perfluoroalkyl acids and thyroid hormones in U.S. adults: variation according to TPOAb and iodine status (NHANES 2007-2008). Environ Health Perspect 124:935-942; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409589.