Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and sleep health in U.S. adults, NHANES 2005-2014
Year: 2022
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Background and Aim Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that may induce oxidative inflammatory responses and disrupt the endocrine and the central nervous systems, all of which can influence sleep. This study aims to investigate the association between PFAS exposure and sleep health in adults using the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods We analyzed serum concentrations of four PFAS [perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)] in 8,015 adults enrolled in five waves of NHANES between 2005 and 2014. Self-reported outcomes include diagnosis of sleep disorder (e.g., apnea, insomnia), insufficient sleep (<6 hours/day), and excessive sleep (>9 hours/day). Weighted multivariate logistic regression was utilized to estimate the association between the sleep outcomes and PFAS (individual compounds and mixtures) modeled continuously (log2) or in exposure tertiles, adjusting for potential confounders. A quantile g-computation was used to estimate the joint effects of PFAS mixtures on the sleep outcomes. Results Overall, 8.4% (N=674) of participants had sleep disorder diagnosis, and 14.7% (N=1,177) and 2.8% (N=227) were classified as insufficient or excessive sleep, respectively. A doubling of serum-PFOS concentrations (ng/ml) was associated with lower odds of having diagnosed sleep disorder (OR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.81, 0.93) and experiencing insufficient sleep (OR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.85, 0.99). These inverse associations were also observed for PFAS mixtures, but only among male adults aged 60 and above. Adults with higher exposure tertiles of PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA were associated with higher odds of excessive sleep compared to those in the lowest tertiles. Conclusions PFAS exposure was linked to sleep outcomes in NHANES, but the effect direction varied by the chemical and outcome assessed. Potential influence from reverse causation and selection bias due to pre-existing sleep conditions needs to be considered. Keywords Sleep; Chemical Mixtures; Endocrine Disruptors; Exposome
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Authors: Zhihao Jin, Pengfei Guo, Jiajun Luo, Kosuke Inoue, Krystal G. Pollitt, Nicole C. Deziel, Zeyan Liew
Institutions: Yale University, Kyoto University
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4317181805