# Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs (STEEP)

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND · 2020 · $380,242

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are widely used industrial chemicals, but widespread
human PFAS exposures from contaminated sites and bioaccumulation in food-chains were discovered less
than 20 years ago, and the full range of adverse health effects is incompletely known. While the U.S. EPA
published limits for water contamination in 2009, these limits remain provisional and may be as much as two
orders of magnitude too high. Thus, recent evidence suggests that current PFAS exposures may cause
adverse effects on the immune system and other sensitive tissues and organs, even at exposures far below
provisional exposure limits. Further, recent evidence, including our own studies, suggests that early-life
exposure to PFASs may contribute to the development of metabolic diseases, including obesity and type 2
diabetes, which constitute major public health problems. Following our discovery that PFAS exposure is
associated with decreased antibody response to certain childhood vaccinations, we hypothesize that PFAS-
induced inflammation may be involved in obesogenic effects of PFAS exposure. We also recently discovered
that most PFASs are transferred via human milk, thereby resulting in peak exposures at the time of weaning.
With the aim to provide improved risk characterization in affected communities, we will determine the possible
links between PFAS exposure profiles, immune dysfunction, and metabolic abnormalities by examining an
already established birth cohort from the Faroe Islands (N = 490) at age 9 years. We have chosen this
epidemiological setting as close to ideal to explore the associations between age-related PFAS exposure
profiles and metabolic abnormalities. Relying on an already established birth cohort that has been supported
by NIEHS, the Project will be highly efficient and utilize exposure and outcome data covering a 9-year span
within the project duration, while taking advantage of clinical information, exposure data, and banked serum
samples from birth and clinical examinations at ages 18 months and 5 years. Due to the homogeneity of the
Faroese population, the wide range of exposures, and the high participation rate in the clinical follow-up, this
epidemiological setting represents advantages that would be nearly impossible to match anywhere else. In
addition, comparable cohorts will be included in pooled statistical analyses to increase the statistical power.
The data analysis will take into account important covariates, including exposures to other environmental
chemicals, and we will explore the influence of child sex and diet on PFAS-associated effects, as well as
conduct benchmark dose calculations for possible use in risk characterization in U.S. populations exposed to
PFASs. In the selection and evaluation of biomarkers and interpretation of the results, we will be in continuous
coordination with Project 3 in regard to the causal role of PFASs on metabolic and immune dysfunction. The...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904671
- **Project number:** 5P42ES027706-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
- **Principal Investigator:** PHILIPPE ADAM GRANDJEAN
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $380,242
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904671

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904671, Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs (STEEP) (5P42ES027706-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904671. Licensed CC0.

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