Sunday, February 15, 2026 2/15/2026

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposures and COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness

Award Number: R21ES033598
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/16/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2024

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposures and COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease state, COVID-19, has resulted in over 374,000 deaths in the United States to date. Vaccines protecting against COVID-19 have recently received FDA emergency use authorization and are being administered to high-risk individuals with wider dissemination to follow. Exposure to per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is associated with reduced immune response following vaccination against other infections, but its effect on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is not known. We have a time-sensitive opportunity to determine the effect of serum PFAS on response to COVID-19 vaccination, building on a unique study in ~2,000 healthcare workers, first responders and other essential workers in Arizona without prior COVID- 19 infection, many of whom have either recently been vaccinated or will be vaccinated in the coming months, supplemented by ~700 additional participants from a similar study in both Arizona and Florida. Our objective in this application is to determine the effects of PFAS exposure levels on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Our central hypotheses are that increased PFAS serum concentrations will: 1) reduce initial SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers following COVID-19 vaccination; 2) increase the rate of longitudinal decline in antibody titers; and 3) increase the frequency of COVID-19 during a nine-month period following vaccination. The rationale for this research is that successful completion can be expected to provide new data about the immune effects of PFAS exposure. We will test these hypotheses through two regular and one exploratory specific aims: 1) Evaluate the association of serum PFAS with initial SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers following COVID-19 vaccination; 2) Evaluate the association of serum PFAS with longitudinal decline in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers following COVID-19 vaccination; and 3) Evaluate the association of serum PFAS concentrations with frequency of COVID-19 following vaccination. For aims 1 and 2, we will select 600 of our Arizona study participants for measurement of serum PFAS following COVID-19 vaccination. As part of the study, these participants will also provide serum for measurement of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies every three months for at least nine months, and provide respiratory samples weekly for PCR testing to identify SARS-CoV-2 infection. For the exploratory aim, we will identify all COVID-19 cases following vaccination in both the Arizona and Florida study populations, and for each case select five matched controls who received COVID-19 vaccination but were not infected with SARS-CoV-2. Serum PFAS levels will be compared across the cases and controls. At study completion, we will have documented the effects of PFAS exposure on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies following COVID-19 vaccination and the frequency of COVID-19 cases following vaccination. The proposed research is significant given the potential for PFAS exposure to reduce the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The proposed research is innovative as it is the first to our knowledge to determine the association between serum PFAS levels and measures of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA	845 N PARK AVE RM 538	TUCSON	AZ	85721	PIMA	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	10/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA	845 N PARK AVE RM 538	TUCSON	AZ	85721	PIMA	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	8/22/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $153,500 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA	888 N EUCLID AVE RM 510	TUCSON	AZ	85719	PIMA	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	7/25/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$153,500
														Subtotal = $153,500

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $261,135 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA	888 N EUCLID AVE RM 510	TUCSON	AZ	85719	PIMA	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	8/16/2021	NEW	$261,135
														Subtotal = $261,135

Grand Total All Awards = $414,635

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposures and COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness

Award Number: R21ES033598

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/16/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2024

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer