Chemicals Undermine Vaccines?

Perfluorinated compounds, a class of manufacturing chemicals, may be harming the immune system in a way that reduces the effectiveness of standard childhood vaccines.

Written byJef Akst

| 2 min read

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CDC PUBLIC HEALTH IMAGE LIBRARY, JAMES GATHANY

Children exposed to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), chemicals containing fluorine that are used in a variety of everyday products, from non-stick cookware to paper plates and microwave popcorn bags, may not respond as well to vaccinations against diseases such as tetanus. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, elevated PFC levels in the blood are associated with a 3-fold greater risk of vaccine failure.

Environmental epidemiologist Philippe Grandjean of the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues measured PFC levels in 587 children in Denmark, both while still in utero and at age 5, when the children came in for their booster shots, and age 7. They also measured antibody levels for vaccinated diseases. At that time of their boosters, ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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