Overview

• University of Rochester Medical Center researchers tracked 200 healthy mother–baby pairs in Rochester, measuring PFAS concentrations in maternal blood and profiling infants’ T-cell subsets at birth, six months and one year.
• At 12 months, infants with higher prenatal PFAS exposure showed a marked decrease in T follicular helper cells and increases in Th1, Th2 and regulatory T cells, each associated with distinct immune risks.
• Depletion of T follicular helper cells helps explain weaker responses to routine vaccines, while elevated Th2 and regulatory cells could predispose to allergies and immune suppression and excess Th1 activity raises autoimmune concerns.
• Lead author Kristin Scheible recommends using water filters, avoiding damaged nonstick cookware and storing food in glass or ceramic containers to limit fetal and infant PFAS contact.
• The research team has initiated a longer-term follow-up to assess whether early T-cell imbalances persist into toddlerhood and correlate with higher rates of infections, allergies or autoimmune conditions.