Chemical Contaminants Linked To Low Immune Response To Vaccines

Although there have been some controversies in recent years, the routine childhood vaccination programs remain at the forefront of disease prevention in the community. Now, it appears that chemicals may affect the immune response to the vaccines, and reduce the immunity they provide.

A new study called "Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds", published January 25, 2012 In "The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) explains that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), commonly used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, caused a lower immune response in children who were given vaccines. The PFCs can be passed prenatally from the mother and postnatally from exposure to the environment. How the contamination occurs is less important as the effect the chemicals seems to have on the body's immune system.

Study lead author Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard School of Public Health said :

"Routine childhood immunizations are a mainstay of modern disease prevention. The negative impact on childhood vaccinations from PFCs should be viewed as a potential threat to public health."

Studies show that most Americans have PFCs In their body, because the chemicals have been widely used for many years and have many industrial and manufacturing applications. The effect of the chemicals on the immune system has been studied in mice, and shown to reduce immune response, but was not widely researched in humans.

The researchers collected and processed data on children recruited at birth at National Hospital in Torshavn, Faroe Islands during 1999-2001. A total of 587 participated in follow-up examinations. Children were tested for immune response to tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations at ages 5 and 7 years. PFCs were measured in maternal pregnancy serum and in the serum of children at age 5 to determine prenatal and postnatal exposure.

PFC exposure was clearly associated with lower antibody responses to immunizations and an increased risk of antibody levels in children. More worryingly the immune responses were lower than levels needed to provide long-term protection against the diseases. A two-fold greater concentration of three major PFCs was associated with a 49% lower level of serum antibodies in children at age 7 years. Immune response is measured by looking at antibody levels, higher antibody levels are a good indicator of the immune system defending against the disease or in this case the vaccine.
< br> Grandjean concluded :

"We were surprised by the steep negative associations, which suggest that PFCs may be more toxic to the immune system than current dioxin exposures."

Researchers didn't mention whether the PFCs might also be responsible for causing some of the adverse reactions that parents have been complaining about. Perhaps the culprit for the vaccine controversy is not the vaccines themselves, but a lower immune system function due to environmental pollution.

The PFC concentrations of those in the study are similar to or slightly below those reported in U.S. women, and most serum PFC levels in Faroese children at age 5 were less than those measured in U.S. children aged 3 to 5 years in 2001-2002.

This study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (part of the National Institutes of Health), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Danish Council for Strategic Research, and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.