Measuring Analytes in Maternal Archived Samples (MAMAS) – MAMAS 2

Analysis of persistent chemicals in blood collected from pregnant individuals in Alameda & Contra Costa Counties, Los Angeles County, the Northern Counties, and Riverside & San Bernardino Counties during prenatal screening

Drawing of a pregnant individual

The Measuring Analytes in Maternal Archived Samples (MAMAS) project is designed to evaluate chemical exposures of pregnant individuals across California. For the MAMAS project, Biomonitoring California is analyzing a subset of blood samples collected as part of prenatal screening conducted by California’s Genetic Disease Screening Program (GDSP).

Samples used in MAMAS come from selected counties across California and were analyzed in three phases: MAMAS 1, MAMAS 2, and MAMAS 3.

In MAMAS 2, samples collected by GDSP in four geographic regions (Alameda/Contra Costa Counties, Los Angeles County, the Northern Counties, and Riverside/San Bernardino Counties) in 2015-2016 were analyzed by our laboratories for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides) and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Of the 540 samples analyzed, 245 samples (subsample 1) were analyzed for POPs only and a distinct subsample of 295 samples (subsample 2) were analyzed for PFASs only.

MAMAS project samples were selected to provide sufficiently large strata for comparison by race; summary statistics are therefore not necessarily reflective of the underlying population.

Project Type:

Laboratory collaboration

Project Status:

Ongoing

Participants:

540 pregnant individuals