Norwegian children have many environmental contaminants in their bodies

In order to prevent adverse health effects there is a need to implement further regulatory measures to reduce exposure to certain environmental contaminants in the Norwegian population.

Background
Environmental contaminants are substances that can be harmful to our health. We are exposed to many of these substances on a daily basis. The health effects of environmental contaminants are underestimated and may pose a considerable threat to the health of present and future generations. Thus, there is a great need to monitor exposure to such substances in Norway. This is also relevant in light of ongoing climate change, which is assumed to alter our exposure to hazardous substances.

Methods
Participants in the Norwegian Environmental Biobank (NEB) were recruited among participants in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Biological samples and questionnaire data were collected from triads of mothers, fathers and children in 2016-17. Here we present results from chemical analyses of the children’s blood and urine samples (n=669).

Results
The participating children were 7-14 years old. There was an even distribution between girls and boys, and the whole country was represented. We measured a total of 81 different environmental contaminants in the children, and for most of them the levels were well below what is considered safe. However, almost all children had levels of BPA that exceeded what the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers safe, and for PFAS almost one third were above EFSAs tolerable weekly intake.

The measured concentrations of most of the environmental pollutants were similar to those seen in comparable European surveys. However, concentrations of PFAS were higher, and concentrations of acrylamide were lower in NEB.

Conclusions
The children participating in the NEB study in 2016-2017 had a wide range of environmental contaminants in their bodies. A considerable part had levels of BPA and PFAS above safe levels, which is of high concern.