Exposure of children aged 0–7 years to perfluorinated compounds in Foshan, China

To evaluate the exposure of children to 14 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in a typical and representative industrial city, plasma samples from 476 children aged 0–7 years in Foshan, China, were analysed. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were detected in 100% of the samples, accounting for 82.27 and 11.46% of the total PFC concentrations, respectively, while PFOS peaked at age 0–1 years, for which the mean and median concentrations were 113.71 and 83.65 ng/mL, respectively, while PFOA peaked at age 3–4 years, for which the mean and median concentrations were 10.68 and 6.58 ng/mL, respectively. The concentrations of PFOS, perfluorohexane sulfonate and perfluorohexanoic acid decreased with age among children aged 0–7 years, and no gender-related differences were found in the concentrations of PFCs. A high correlation was found among all PFCs, especially between PFCs of similar carbon chains (r = 0.161–0.695, p < 0.05). In addition, the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in children’s plasma in Foshan were up to 40-fold higher than those reported in China and other countries. In conclusion, children in Foshan have extensive exposure to PFCs, especially in infancy. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of PFCs on children who live in a typical and representative industrial city in China.