How do everyday plastics and “forever chemicals” shape a child’s earliest months of life?
A new University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study is trying to find out by following 300 local families from the first trimester through the baby’s first year.
The study is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, with a $3.3 million grant.
PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often called “forever chemicals,” are widely used in consumer products. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Both can enter the body through food, water, air and everyday products and have been detected in human tissues.
The five-year study is co-led by Shiwen “Sherlock” Li, assistant professor and Chin Sik and Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair in the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health’s Department of Public Health Sciences, and Cassandra L. Hendrix, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology.
“Pregnancy and infancy are critical windows of development, when the brain and other parts of the body are rapidly forming and may be especially vulnerable to environmental exposures,” Li said. “By studying PFAS and microplastics during this early period of life, we hope to understand whether these exposures can influence a child’s brain development and generate knowledge that can help give every child a healthier start in life.”
Hawaiʻi-focused study
Hawaiʻi provides an important setting for the research because ocean currents concentrate microplastics on island shores and in marine life, while previous research estimated Hawaiʻi’s per-capita seafood consumption at about 1.8 times the U.S. average.
Researchers will measure exposure through maternal blood, examine fetal brain development through ultrasound and collect cord blood and placenta samples. Infants will be assessed at 2, 6 and 12 months for neurological function, motor development, language skills and cognition.
“By doing assessments early and often, we can see when these chemicals first impact babies’ brain development,” Hendrix said. “Knowing when and how babies are affected can inform policies and interventions that will support families across the Hawaiian Islands.”
The multidisciplinary UH Mānoa team includes researchers from the Department of Public Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health and Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology and the UH Cancer Center.
