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Preconception exposure to environmental antibiotics among childbearing couples in Anhui and health risk assessment: A
Baolin Wang1, Menglong Geng1, Mengdie Li2
1School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract (Anhui Medical University), No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
Abstract:
Only few studies have assessed the health effects due to preconception exposure to antibiotics among childbearing couples. This study investigated the status of preconception exposure to antibiotics among childbearing couples in Anhui, associated with health risks, and influencing factors. Overall, 1500 childbearing couples were randomly selected from the Reproductive Health of Childbearing Couples - Anhui Cohort (RHCC-AC). The urinary levels of 40 antibiotics and 2 metabolites were determined, and specific gravity (SG) adjusted concentrations of antibiotics were measured to assess health risks. Generalized linear models were used to assess the associations of urinary SG-adjusted concentration of antibiotics with demographic parameters and diet frequency. The total detection rates of all antibiotics were 98.9 % and 99.3 % in wives and husbands, respectively. The detection rates of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) and preferred as VAs (PVAs) were above 90 %. Among eight antibiotics, sulfonamides (95.1 %) and fluoroquinolones (87.6 %) had the highest detection rates in couples. Approximately four-fifths of couples were simultaneously exposed to at least three different antibiotics, and more than half of them were exposed to low concentrations of antibiotics. 8.9 % and 9.2 % of wives and husbands had hazard index value of antibiotics exposure greater than 1. Antibiotic concentrations were associated with residence, sampling season, and diet frequency. In Anhui, nearly 98 % of childbearing couples have environmental exposure to antibiotics, and VAs and PVAs are the primary antibiotics. More than 8 % of couples had health risks due to antibiotic exposure. Several potential determinants of urinary antibiotics deserve more attention in future research.
