Prenatal and early-life triclosan and paraben exposure and allergic outcomes

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Published on: November 1, 2013

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Kathleen Lee-Sarwar1, Russ Hauser2, Antonia M Calafat3

  • 1Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|November 8, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to triclosan and parabens was not consistently linked to childhood allergies. However, a trend toward inverse association with allergic sensitization was noted, with potential sex-specific effects requiring further research.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental health
  • Pediatric allergy
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Triclosan and parabens are common chemicals found in personal care products.
  • Previous studies suggest a link between these chemicals and allergic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal and early-life exposure to triclosan and parabens and the development of childhood allergic diseases.
  • To examine outcomes such as asthma, recurrent wheezing, and allergic sensitization.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective longitudinal study of 467 mother-child pairs enrolled in the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial.
  • Quantification of triclosan, methyl paraben, and propyl paraben in maternal plasma and child urine samples.
  • Assessment of physician-diagnosed asthma, recurrent wheeze, and allergic sensitization via IgE levels at age 3 years.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations were found between triclosan or paraben exposure and childhood asthma, wheezing, or allergic sensitization in the overall population.
  • A trend suggested an inverse association between exposure and allergic sensitization.
  • Effect modification by sex was observed, with higher environmental sensitization odds linked to paraben exposure in males.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal and early-life exposure to triclosan and parabens did not show a consistent association with childhood allergic diseases in this cohort.
  • Sex-specific effects of these exposures on allergic sensitization warrant further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Triclosanasthmaparabenprenatal sensitization

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