Khaberni - A new study linked exposure to chemical compounds known as PFAS with an increased risk of asthma in children, especially when this exposure occurs during pregnancy and at very high levels.
PFAS compounds, or "perfluoroalkyl" and "polyfluoroalkyl" substances, are used in the manufacturing of many everyday products such as food wrappers and firefighting foam. Known as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily and remain in the environment for long periods, they raise concerns about their health impacts, especially on the immune system.
Studies indicate that these compounds can cross the placenta, which means they can transfer from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy. Although daily exposure for most people is low, some areas experience high levels of pollution due to their proximity to factories or military sites that use firefighting materials containing PFAS.
In a recent study conducted in the town of Ronneby in southern Sweden, it was found that children whose mothers were exposed to very high levels of PFAS during pregnancy were more susceptible to developing asthma in childhood.
The roots of this situation date back to 2013, when a water testing in Ronneby revealed extremely high levels of these substances in one water source, far exceeding another by more than 200 times. It turned out that the source of the pollution was firefighting foam used in military training since the 1980s, which later leaked into the drinking water, carrying with it permanent compounds such as PFOS and PFHxS.
After the pollution was discovered, residents were provided with an alternative water source, but this did not erase the effects of the previous exposure that had continued for years without the residents' knowledge.
Using national health and demographic data in Sweden, researchers followed more than 11,000 children born between 2006 and 2013 in Blekinge County until the age of 12, analyzing asthma cases based on medical diagnoses and medication records.
Since direct measurement of exposure was not available for all children, researchers relied on mothers' residential addresses to estimate the level of exposure to contaminated drinking water before birth, dividing mothers into four categories according to the severity of exposure.
The results showed that children who were exposed to the highest levels of PFAS during pregnancy were approximately 40% more likely to develop asthma by age 12 compared to those exposed to lower levels. About 27% of the most exposed children developed asthma by age 12, compared to 16% in the least exposed group.
No increase in risk was observed in groups with medium exposure, suggesting that the health impact might only appear at very high levels of pollution.
This study is one of the first to clearly link high PFAS exposure during pregnancy with an increased risk of asthma in children, at a time when estimates indicate thousands of contaminated sites with these substances across Europe, raising broader concerns about their long-term health impacts.
