Shots - Health Blog Tue January 24, 2012 Common Chemicals Could
Make Kids' Vaccines Less Effective Originally published on Tue
January 24, 2012 4:07 pm The more exposure children have to
chemicals called perfluorinated compounds, the less likely they
are to have a good immune response to vaccinations, a study just
published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical
Association shows. The finding suggests, but doesn't prove, that
these chemicals can affect the immune system enough to make some
children more vulnerable to infectious diseases. For decades
now, PFCs have been used in nonstick coatings, stain-resistant
fabrics and some food packaging. And because they persist in the
environment for years, they have become common around the globe.
"You can find them in polar bears," says Dr. Philippe Grandjean,
the study's lead author who works at both Harvard and the
University of Southern Denmark. Studies in animals have shown
that PFCs can weaken the immune system. Grandjean wanted to know
whether this was ha