Phthalates Biomarker Identification and Exposure Estimates in a Population of Pregnant Women.
Publication/Presentation Date
5-1-2009
Abstract
Phthalates are known reproductive and developmental toxicants in experimental animals. However, in humans, there are few data on the exposure of pregnant women that can be used to assess the potential developmental exposure experienced by the fetus. We measured several phthalate metabolites in maternal urine, maternal serum, and cord serum samples collected at the time of delivery from 150 pregnant women from central New Jersey. The urinary concentrations of most metabolites were comparable to or less than among the U.S. general population, except for mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), three metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The median urinary concentrations of MEHHP (109 mug/l) and MEOHP (95.1 mug/l) were more than 5 times their population-based concentrations, whereas the median urinary concentration of MEHP was more than 20 times higher. High concentration of MEHP may indicate a recent exposure to the parent chemical DEHP in the hospital shortly before the collection of the samples. Calculation of daily intakes using the urinary biomarker data reveals that none of the pregnant women tested had integrated exposures to DEHP greater than the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's minimal risk levels (MRLs chronic 60, intermediate 100 mug/kg/day). No abnormal birth outcomes (e .g., birth weight, Apgar Score, and gestational age) were noted in those newborns whose mothers had relatively greater exposure to DEHP during the perinatal period than others in this study. Significantly greater concentrations and detection frequencies in maternal urine than in maternal serum and cord serum suggest that the urinary concentrations of the phthalate metabolites may be more reliable biomarkers of exposure than their concentrations in other biological specimens.
Volume
15
Issue
3
First Page
565
Last Page
578
ISSN
1080-7039
Published In/Presented At
Yan, X., Calafat, A., Lashley, S., Smulian, J., Ananth, C., Barr, D., Silva, M., Ledoux, T., Hore, P., & Robson, M. G. (2009). Phthalates Biomarker Identification and Exposure Estimates in a Population of Pregnant Women. Human and ecological risk assessment : HERA, 15(3), 565–578. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807030902892554
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
20686649
Department(s)
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Document Type
Article