Zeyan Liew receives grants to study the role of PFAS in cerebral palsy
A team of researchers and epidemiologists at the Yale School of Public Health has received two federal grants to study how environmental chemical exposure and air pollution may lead to cerebral palsy in children. The funding is expected to be more than $3 million.
The grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will fund the projects, led by Dr. Zeyan Liew, PhD, MPH, through 2029. Liew, associate professor of epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences) and his team will evaluate whether maternal and child exposure to higher levels of neurotoxic chemicals, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and pesticides commonly found in commercial and household products may influence the risk for developing cerebral palsy.
“We are building unique resources to investigate whether exposure to not just one, but multiple types of environmental pollutants as mixtures, would affect the susceptibility to and occurrence for cerebral palsy,” said Liew. “Etiological studies looking at the causes of cerebral palsy have focused on obstetric or lifestyle factors, while the risk from our physical and social environments hasn’t been seriously considered yet. Our projects will address this gap in the scientific research and literature.”
Research from YSPH has shown that PFAS, the “forever chemicals” used in non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, and waterproof clothing, can lead to cancers, liver damage, and miscarriages. Nearly everyone has some of the chemicals in their blood, and the chemicals can linger in our environment for decades.
Liew and his team will use California’s extensive health databases for their study. The combination of California’s collection of biological databanks, health records of mothers and their children, and pesticide-use maps provides unmatched and untapped resources for this research, Liew said. The studies will analyze biobank samples to measure an array of biologic parameters, including hormones, immune and metabolomic markers, and to study how environmental chemicals interfere with mechanistic pathways that are most relevant to cerebral palsy development.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that about 1 in 345 children will be newly diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. “The causes for most cases are unknown, making prevention of this debilitating condition extremely difficult. Many individuals affected by cerebral palsy have lifelong health consequences, including impaired physical mobility and other co-occurring disease conditions.” Liew said.
The research team will also address whether environmental differences in air pollution exposure contribute to a higher prevalence of cerebral palsy among the more vulnerable populations and communities.
“There is a persistent racial and ethnic discrepancy in the cerebral palsy rates in the United States that remains unaddressed,” Liew said. “Studies have shown that environmental pollutants are disproportionately distributed in areas where lower socioeconomic and vulnerable communities reside. Our studies aim to provide new data to test whether targeting modifiable factors from the environment can alter the social and racial inequalities of cerebral palsy occurrence.”
Liew’s team is also working with other YSPH researchers on a separate grant, funded by the Yale Planetary Solutions Project, to investigate how climate change may influence pregnancies and the rates of cerebral palsy in California.