Original Articles

Cross-Sectional Study of Lipids and Liver Enzymes Related to a Serum Biomarker of Exposure (ammonium perfluorooctanoate or APFO) as Part of a General Health Survey in a Cohort of Occupationally Exposed Workers

Sakr, Carine J. MD, MPH; Kreckmann, Kim H. BS; Green, John W. PhD; Gillies, Peter J. PhD; Reynolds, Julia L. MS; Leonard, Robin C. PhD

Author Information

From the Yale University School of Medicine (Dr Sakr), New Haven, Connecticut; Epidemiology Program at DuPont Haskell Laboratory for Health and Environmental Sciences (Dr Sakr, Mr Kreckmann, Ms Reynolds, and Dr Leonard), Newark, Delaware; and Engineering DuET (Dr Green), and Central Research and Development (Dr Gillies), DuPont Company, Wilmington, Delaware.

Address correspondence to: Carine J. Sakr, MD, MPH, 1090 Elkton Road, PO Box 50, Newark, DE 19714-0050; E-mail: [email protected], [email protected].

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 49(10):p 1086-1096, October 2007. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318156eca3

Abstract

Objective:

To examine the relationship between serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), a biomarker of ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) exposure, and lipids and liver enzymes in a cross-sectional study among workers with potential occupational exposure to APFO.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1025 active workers with potential exposure to APFO using linear regression to examine the relationship between PFOA and selected outcomes from a standard metabolic health screening survey, emphasizing lipids and liver enzymes.

Results:

Most outcome parameters were within normal limits. After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed a modest but statistically significant, positive relationship between serum PFOA and total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and gamma glutamyl aminotransferase (GGT). No associations were seen for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or bilirubin; associations with AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine transpeptidase) did not reach statistical significance.