Associations of urinary phthalate metabolites with residential characteristics, lifestyles, and dietary habits among young children in Shanghai, China

Phthalates are widely used in consumer products and are well-known for adverse endocrine outcomes. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), one of the most extensively used phthalates, has been rapidly substituted with alternative plasticizers in many consumer products. The aim of this study was to assess urinary phthalate and alternative plasticizer exposure and associated risks in children of three Asian countries with different geographical, climate, and cultural characteristics. Children were recruited from elementary schools of Saudi Arabia (n = 109), Thailand (n = 104), and Indonesia (n = 89) in 2017–2018, and their urine samples were collected. Metabolites of major phthalates and alternative plasticizers were measured in the urine samples by HPLC-MS/MS. Urinary metabolite levels differed substantially between the three countries. Metabolite levels of diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), diisodecyl phthalate (DiDP), di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP), and 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH) were the highest in Saudi children: Median urinary concentrations of oxo-MiNP, OH-MiDP, 5cx-MEPTP, and OH-MINCH were 8.3, 8.4, 128.0, and 2.9 ng/mL, respectively. Urinary DEHP metabolite concentrations were the highest in the Indonesian children. The hazard index (HI) derived for the plasticizers with antiandrogenicity based reference doses (RfDAA) was >1 in 86%, 80%, and 49% of the Saudi, Indonesian, and Thai children, respectively. DEHP was identified as a common major risk driver for the children of all three countries, followed by DnBP and DiBP depending on the country. Among alternative plasticizers, urinary DEHTP metabolites were detected at levels comparable to those of DEHP metabolites or higher among the Saudi children, and about 4% of the Saudi children exceeded the health based human biomonitoring (HBM)-I value. Priority plasticizers that were identified among the children of three countries warrant refined exposure assessment for source identification and relevant exposure reduction measures.

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“…Asterisk (*) indicates the median value of urinary concentrations in subpopulations (for details see Tables S6 and S7). − …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Concentrations of Major Phthalate and Alternative Plasticizer Metabolites in Children of Thailand, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, and Associated Risks

Lee

Pälmke

Ringbeck

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…When considering of food categories, grain appeared to be associated with both DEHP and DiNP while meat only with DiNP [ 26 ]. Liao et al, (2018) detected that plastic toys, soft drinks and candies were positively associated with urinary phthalate levels in Chinese children [ 27 ]. The Euromix study also investigated associations with food habits and several endocrine disruptors, detecting significant positive associations between oily and fatty foods and DEHP urinary concentrations, while DPHP and DiBP were associated with sweets consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phthalates and Bisphenol A: Presence in Blood Serum and Follicular Fluid of Italian Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction Techniques

Paoli

Pallotti

Dima

et al. 2020

Toxics

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Background: folliculogenesis is a strictly regulated process that may be affected by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) through sometimes not so clear molecular mechanisms. Methods: we conducted a multicentric observational study involving six fertility centers across Italy, prospectively recruiting 122 women attending a fertility treatment. Recruited women had age ≤42 years, and normal ovarian reserve. Blood and follicular fluid samples were taken for EDCs measurement using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and each woman completed an epidemiological questionnaire. Results: The main EDCs found were monobutyl phthalate (MBP) (median blood: 8.96 ng/mL, follicular fluid 6.43 ng/mL), monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (median blood: 9.16 ng/mL, follicular fluid 7.68 ng/mL) and bisphenol A (BPA) (median blood: 1.89 ng/mL, follicular fluid 1.86 ng/mL). We found that serum MBP concentration was significantly associated with the considered area (p < 0.001, adj. mean: 7.61 ng/mL, 14.40 ng/mL, 13.56 ng/mL; Area 1: Milan–Turin, Area 2: Rome–Naples; Area 3: Catania–Bari, respectively) but negatively with home plastic food packaging (p = 0.004). Follicular MBP was associated with irregular cycles (p = 0.019). No association was detected between EDCs and eating habits and other clinical and epidemiological features. Conclusions: This study represents the first Italian biomonitoring of plastic EDCs in follicular fluid, laying the basis for future prospective evaluation on oocyte quality before assisted reproduction techniques (ART).

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“…These age-specific concentration differences are consistent with previously published studies in the United States [ 21 ] and Germany [ 16 ]. Younger children may be more vulnerable to phthalate exposure than older children, presumably because of more hand-to-mouth behavior and immature immune and metabolic systems [ 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of Phthalate Metabolites and Bisphenol A Levels with Obesity in Children: The Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2015 to 2017

et al. 2022

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Background: Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are synthetic chemicals widely used in daily life. This study investigated urinary phthalate and BPA levels in Korean children and their associations with obesity. Methods: A total of 2,351 children aged 3 to 17 years who participated in the Korean National Environmental Health Survey 2015 to 2017 were included. Urinary dilution was corrected using covariate-adjusted standardization (CAS). We examined the geometric mean (GM) concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites, including di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites (mono [2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl] phthalate, mono [2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl] phthalate, and mono [2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl] phthalate [MECPP]), mono-benzyl-phthalate (MBzP), mono (carboxyoctyl) phthalate (MCOP), mono (carboxy-isononyl) phthalate (MCNP), mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate, and mono-n-butyl-phthalate (MnBP), and BPA. We also analyzed the odds ratio (OR) for obesity according to the quartiles of each analyte. Results: The urinary GM levels of DEHP metabolites and MnBP were notably higher among Korean children than among American, Canadian, and German children. The CAS-applied GM concentrations of most analytes, except for MBzP, MCOP, and MCNP, were higher in children aged 3 to 5 years than in those aged 6 to 17 years. The OR for obesity in the highest quartile of MECPP was significantly higher than in the lowest quartile after adjusting for covariates. However, the other phthalate metabolites and BPA were not significantly associated with obesity. Conclusion: The concentrations of urinary DEHP metabolites and MnBP were higher in Korean children than in children in Western countries. Urinary MECPP exposure, but not other phthalates or BPA, showed a positive association with obesity in Korean children. Further studies are required to elucidate the causal relationships.

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Associations of urinary phthalate metabolites with residential characteristics, lifestyles, and dietary habits among young children in Shanghai, China

Cited by 47 publications

References 61 publications

Urinary Concentrations of Major Phthalate and Alternative Plasticizer Metabolites in Children of Thailand, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, and Associated Risks

Urinary Concentrations of Major Phthalate and Alternative Plasticizer Metabolites in Children of Thailand, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, and Associated Risks

Phthalates and Bisphenol A: Presence in Blood Serum and Follicular Fluid of Italian Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction Techniques

Associations of Phthalate Metabolites and Bisphenol A Levels with Obesity in Children: The Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2015 to 2017

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