Bashir Tahir, Obeng-Gyasi Emmanuel
Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Environmental Health and Disease Laboratory, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Diseases. 2022 Apr 29;10(2):26. doi: 10.3390/diseases10020026.
Objective: This study sought to assess the associations between occupation, serum concentrations of selected of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and chronic physiological stress, as operationalized by Allostatic Load (AL), among adults aged ≥20 years. Methods: To explore the interactions of occupation with PFAS levels and AL, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007−2014 were used. We performed Poisson regression modeling to evaluate AL’s relationships with PFAS concentrations and occupations on weighted data. Results: The results demonstrated that increased AL was positively associated with different occupation groups such as a) Public Administration and b) Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (p-values 0.018 and 0.002, respectively), and with certain PFAS concentrations (Perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, p-value = 0.002). Finally, AL had a strong association with the interaction of some PFAS such as Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and occupation (AL: PFBS: occupation, p-value < 0.0001), with different association measures existing across varying occupations. Conclusions: Occupation and PFOA seem to be associated with AL. This suggests the need of implementing further strategies to limit the exposure to stressors and PFAS in the work environment to promote longevity among the workforce in the U.S. Finally, policymakers must do more to clearly define standards and regulations in the work environment related to PFAS exposure.
本研究旨在评估20岁及以上成年人的职业、选定的全氟和多氟烷基物质（PFAS）血清浓度与慢性生理应激（以负荷应激（AL）衡量）之间的关联。方法：为探究职业与PFAS水平及AL之间的相互作用，使用了2007 - 2014年美国国家健康与营养检查调查（NHANES）的数据。我们对加权数据进行泊松回归建模，以评估AL与PFAS浓度及职业之间的关系。结果：结果表明，较高的AL与不同职业群体呈正相关，如a）公共管理和b）艺术、娱乐及休闲（p值分别为0.018和0.002），以及与某些PFAS浓度（全氟辛酸，PFOA，p值 = 0.002）相关。最后，AL与某些PFAS（如全氟丁烷磺酸（PFBS））和职业的相互作用有很强的关联（AL：PFBS：职业，p值 < 0.0001），不同职业的关联程度不同。结论：职业和PFOA似乎与AL有关。这表明需要实施进一步的策略，以限制工作环境中应激源和PFAS的暴露，从而促进美国劳动力的长寿。最后，政策制定者必须采取更多措施，明确界定工作环境中与PFAS暴露相关的标准和法规。
