多氟化合物(polyfluorinated compounds, PFCs)是一种含氟的化学物，用于多种多样的产品中，从不沾锅厨具到纸盘和微波炉爆米花袋。接触PFCs的儿童对接种抵抗破伤风之类的传染性疾病的疫苗可能不能作出反应。根据发表在Journal of the American Medical Association期刊上的一项研究，血液中PFC水平增加与疫苗失效风险提高3倍存在关联。
美国哈佛公共卫生学院环境传染病学家Philippe Grandjean和他的同事们在丹麦测量了587名儿童身上的PFC水平，其中这些儿童可以分为仍然处于母亲子宫中、年龄5岁(他们接受加强疫苗注射时)和7岁。他们也测量了接种抵抗疾病的疫苗产生的抗体水平。在他们接受疫苗加强注射时，这些儿童中大约26%有较低的抵抗破伤风的抗体水平，而且37%也有较低地免受白喉的能力。在出生前有最高PFC水平的儿童当他们长大时有着最低的抗体保护水平。
Grandjean猜测这种关联是PFCs伤害免疫系统的结果。美国国家环境卫生科学研究所免疫学家Dori Germole告诉《自然》期刊，“这篇论文的数据跟过去几年利用实验室动物发表的论文中的数据非常吻合。这些化合物是免疫抑制剂。”
Grandjean研究小组之前的流行病学研究也将多氯联苯(polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs)与免疫损伤连接起来，但是PFCs似乎有着更强的抑制效果。在美国，人们已经完全停止生产一些PFCs，但是Grandjean说这些结果需要人们重新考虑一下对这些化学物制定法规的方式。他告诉《自然》期刊，“人们没有施加足够的压力阻止生产有发育毒性的PFCs成为优先选择。这确实是一个更加大的问题。” (生物谷：towersimper编译)
延伸阅读：
EST：首次证实办公室空气中和员工血液里的潜在毒性PFC水平存在关联
doi:10.1001/jama.2011.2034
PMC:
PMID:
Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds
Philippe Grandjean, MD, DMSc; Elisabeth Wreford Andersen, PhD; Esben Budtz-Jørgensen, PhD; Flemming Nielsen, PhD; Kåre Mølbak, MD, DMSc; Pal Weihe, MD; Carsten Heilmann, MD, DMSc
Context Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have emerged as important food contaminants. They cause immune suppression in a rodent model at serum concentrations similar to those occurring in the US population, but adverse health effects of PFC exposure are poorly understood.
Objective To determine whether PFC exposure is associated with antibody response to childhood vaccinations.
Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective study of a birth cohort from the National Hospital in the Faroe Islands. A total of 656 consecutive singleton births were recruited during 1997-2000, and 587 participated in follow-up through 2008.
Main Outcome Measures Serum antibody concentrations against tetanus and diphtheria toxoids at ages 5 and 7 years.
Results Similar to results of prior studies in the United States, the PFCs with the highest serum concentrations were perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Among PFCs in maternal pregnancy serum, PFOS showed the strongest negative correlations with antibody concentrations at age 5 years, for which a 2-fold greater concentration of exposure was associated with a difference of −39% (95% CI, −55% to −17%) in the diphtheria antibody concentration. PFCs in the child's serum at age 5 years showed uniformly negative associations with antibody levels, especially at age 7 years, except that the tetanus antibody level following PFOS exposure was not statistically significant. In a structural equation model, a 2-fold greater concentration of major PFCs in child serum was associated with a difference of −49% (95% CI, −67% to −23%) in the overall antibody concentration. A 2-fold increase in PFOS and PFOA concentrations at age 5 years was associated with odds ratios between 2.38 (95% CI, 0.89 to 6.35) and 4.20 (95% CI, 1.54 to 11.44) for falling below a clinically protective level of 0.1 IU/mL for tetanus and diphtheria antibodies at age 7 years.
Conclusion Elevated exposures to PFCs were associated with reduced humoral immune response to routine childhood immunizations in children aged 5 and 7 years.
