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By Daniella Gray
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Six common "forever chemicals"—may disrupt early placental development and endanger pregnancy health before most women are even aware they are pregnant, according to a new study.
Properly known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), forever chemicals are commonly found in contaminated drinking water, food packaging, non-stick cookware and textiles.
During the first 90 days of pregnancy, the fetus begins forming its organs, and the placenta establishes itself as the lifeline between mother and baby, regulating nutrients, oxygen and metabolic waste.
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Although the placenta has its own protective barriers, PFAS are uniquely persistent: they accumulate in the body over time, can cross placental tissue and have been associated with complications ranging from impaired fetal growth to, in severe cases, miscarriage.
“For an accurate risk assessment, it is important to document PFAS exposure more precisely, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy," said UFZ reproductive scientist Dr. Violeta Stojanovska, the study’s principal investigator, in a statement.
Until now, most research has relied on PFAS detected late in pregnancy or on simplified cell models that test PFAS compounds individually—approaches that don’t reflect real-world exposure.
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Working with the Dessau Municipal Hospital, an academic hospital of the Brandenburg Medical School, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research team analyzed first trimester placental tissue from 31 women.
From these samples, they identified six PFAS compounds detected at high concentrations—perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorobutanoic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid and perfluorodecanoic acid.
“These PFAS were relevant for our investigations because we detected them in high concentrations in placenta and there was literature indication that they might trigger pregnancy complications,” said paper author Yu Xia in a statement.
The researchers combined the six chemicals into a placenta-relevant PFAS mixture and exposed it to a 3D trophoblast model—an advanced system that mimics the spherical cell architecture of early placental tissue far more accurately than traditional flat cultures.
Trophoblasts, the placental cells that invade maternal tissue and connect with the mother’s bloodstream, rely on precise cellular choreography during early pregnancy. But when exposed to the PFAS mixture, the 3D models showed clear signs of disruption.
The cells’ invasiveness—critical for securing nutrients and ensuring optimal fetal growth—was impaired. Gene expression analysis revealed disturbances in both apoptosis (programmed cell death) and proliferation (healthy cell growth).
“The two processes are kept in natural balance during the development of the placenta,” Stojanovska explained. “However, this balance is disturbed when the placenta is exposed to high PFAS concentrations.”
The PFAS mixture also reduced production of β-hCG, the placenta’s first hormone and one of the earliest regulators of pregnancy.
β-hCG plays a key role in driving progesterone production, maintaining the uterine lining and preventing the maternal immune system from rejecting the fetus. A drop in this hormone, the team warned, could be an early sign of broader endocrine disruption.
“The study emphasizes the harmful effects of the PFAS mixture on trophoblast function and thus the potential risks to placental health and the outcome of the pregnancy,” said Professor Ana Zenclussen, head of the UFZ department of environmental immunology, in a statement.
The placenta may act as a guardian for the fetus, but even it has vulnerabilities—and PFAS, the study suggested, can take advantage of them.
Newsweek reached out to the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research team for comment via email.
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Reference
Xia, Y., Fu, Q., Voss, H., Fest, S., Arnold, S., Bauer, M., Fink, B., Zenclussen, A. C., & Stojanovska, V. (2025). Real-life per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances mixture impairs placental function: Insights from a trophoblast spheroid model. Environmental Research, 287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123037
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