Widely Used Chemicals Linked to ADHD in Children

Boston University School of Public Health has issued a news release about some research suggesting a link  between polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), industrial compounds that are widely used in many consumer products  like stain-resistance coatings, food packaging, and fire-fighting foams., and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.  Here are some snippets from the release:

Published online, ahead of print, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the researchers found “increased odds of ADHD in children with higher serum PFC levels.” The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the PFC levels found in serum samples taken from 571 children, ages 12 to 15. The parents of 48 of these children reported their children were diagnosed with ADHD, one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children..

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Although the study indicates there is a link between PFCs and ADHD, lead author Kate Hoffman said it is not known if there is a causal relationship between the two.

“There’s a link between this exposure and outcome but we’re not really sure what way that goes,” said Hoffman, PhD, who conducted the study while completing her doctorate in environmental health at BUSPH. “What we can say is children with this outcome tend to have higher levels of PFCs in their blood.” Because the PFC measurements were collected at the same time as the parental report of ADHD diagnosis, Hoffman said it is unknown whether children with ADHD engage in behavior leading to increased PFC exposure or if higher

The full study is available on the Environmental Health Perspectives website.