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Exposure of Preschool-Age Greek Children (RHEA Cohort) to Bisphenol A, Parabens, Phthalates, and Organophosphates
journal contribution
posted on 2016-01-19, 00:00 authored by Antonis Myridakis, Georgia Chalkiadaki, Marianna Fotou, Manolis Kogevinas, Leda Chatzi, Euripides G. StephanouPhthalate
esters (PEs), bisphenol A (BPA), and parabens (PBs),
which are used in numerous consumer products, are known for their
endocrine disrupting properties. Organophosphate chemicals (OPs),
which form the basis of the majority of pesticides, are known for
their neurotoxic activity in humans. All of these chemicals are associated
with health problems to which children are more susceptible. Once
they enter the human body, PEs, BPA, PBs, and OPs are metabolized
and/or conjugated and finally excreted via urine. Hence, human exposure
to these substances is examined through a determination of the urinary
concentrations of their metabolites. This study assessed the exposure
of Greek preschool-age children to PEs, BPA, PBs, and OPs by investigating
the urinary levels of seven PEs metabolites, six PBs, BPA, and six
dialkyl phosphate metabolites in five-hundred samples collected from
4-year-old children, subjects of the “RHEA” mother-child
cohort in Crete, Greece. Daily intake of endocrine disruptors, calculated
for 4 year old children, was lower than the corresponding daily intake
for 2.5 year old children, which were determined in an earlier study
of the same cohort. In some cases the daily intake levels exceeded
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI)
values and the EFSA Reference Doses (RfD) (e.g., for di-2-ethyl-hexyl
phthalate, 3.6% and 1% of the children exceeded RfD and TDi, respectively).
Exposure was linked to three main sources: PEs-BPA to plastic, PBs-diethyl
phthalate to personal hygiene products, and OPs to food.