Longitudinal study of serum lipids and liver enzymes in workers with occupational exposure to ammonium perfluorooctanoate

Objective: To examine the relationship between serum perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), a biomarker of ammonium perfluorooctanoate exposure, and lipids and liver enzymes. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study on 454 workers and used mixed models to examine the relationship between serum PFOA and lipids and liver enzymes. Results: One part per million (ppm) increase in serum PFOA was associated with a 1.06 mg/dL increase in total cholesterol, but was not associated with changes in triglycerides or other lipoproteins, after adjusting for potential confounders. Serum PFOA was also associated with total bilirubin (0.008 mg/dL decline/ppm) and serum aspartate aminotransferase (0.35 units increase/ppm)but not with the other liver enzymes. Conclusions: These medical surveillance data collected on workers for up to 25 years contributes useful information on the effects of ammonium perfluorooctanoate exposure on human liver and lipid chemistry.