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Published on: March 6, 2018
Environmental phenol exposures in 6- to 12-week-old infants: The Infant Feeding and Early Development (IFED) study
Mandy Goldberg1, Margaret A Adgent2, Danielle R Stevens1
1Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, USA.
Insights
Infant exposure to phenols, including parabens and BPA, is widespread in the U.S. Higher paraben levels in infants than children highlight the need for biomonitoring and source investigation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Endocrinology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Phenols are endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in consumer products.
- Infant exposure data is limited, yet infants are highly sensitive to endocrine disruption.
- This study assessed phenol levels and predictors in U.S. infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the distribution of urinary phenol concentrations in U.S. infants.
- To identify predictors of phenol exposure in infants aged 6-12 weeks.
- To compare infant phenol levels with those in older children.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study (Infant Feeding and Early Development - IFED) of 199 infants (2010-2013).
- Measured seven phenols in urine samples collected at 6, 8, and 12 weeks.
- Used linear mixed models to analyze associations with maternal, sociodemographic, and infant factors.
Main Results:
- High median concentrations of methylparaben, propylparaben, and benzophenone-3 detected.
- Infant methylparaben levels were 10x higher than U.S. children; propylparaben levels were 3-4x higher.
- Infants of Black mothers had higher BPA, paraben, and dichlorophenol; lower benzophenone-3 and triclosan.
- Breastfed infants had higher triclosan; lower maternal education was linked to lower triclosan.
- Phenol concentrations were higher in summer samples.
Conclusions:
- Widespread exposure to environmental phenols, notably parabens, in U.S. infants.
- Infant paraben concentrations significantly exceed those in older children.
- Expanded biomonitoring for infants and toddlers is crucial.
- Further research into exposure sources is needed to minimize risks during sensitive developmental periods.
Background:
Exposure to phenols, endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in personal care and consumer products, is widespread. Data on infant exposures are limited despite heightened sensitivity to endocrine disruption during this developmental period. We aimed to describe distributions and predictors of urinary phenol concentrations among U.S. infants ages 6-12 weeks.
Methods:
The Infant Feeding and Early Development (IFED) study is a prospective cohort study of healthy term infants enrolled during 2010-2013 in the Philadelphia region. We measured concentrations of seven phenols in 352 urine samples collected during the 6- or 8- and/or 12-week study visits from 199 infants. We used linear mixed models to estimate associations of maternal, sociodemographic, infant, and sample characteristics with natural-log transformed, creatinine-standardized phenol concentrations and present results as mean percent change from the reference level.
Results:
Median concentrations (μg/L) were 311 for methylparaben, 10.3 for propylparaben, 3.6 for benzophenone-3, 2.1 for triclosan, 1.0 for 2,5-dichlorophenol, 0.7 for BPA, and 0.3 for 2,4-dichlorophenol. Geometric mean methylparaben concentrations were approximately 10 times higher than published estimates for U.S. children ages 3-5 and 6-11 years, while propylparaben concentrations were 3-4 times higher. Infants of Black mothers had higher concentrations of BPA (83%), methylparaben (121%), propylparaben (218%), and 2,5-dichorophenol (287%) and lower concentrations of benzophenone-3 (-77%) and triclosan (-53%) than infants of White mothers. Triclosan concentrations were higher in breastfed infants (176%) and lower in infants whose mothers had a high school education or less (-62%). Phenol concentrations were generally higher in summer samples.
Conclusions:
Widespread exposure to select environmental phenols among this cohort of healthy U.S. infants, including much higher paraben concentrations compared to those reported for U.S. children, supports the importance of expanding population-based biomonitoring programs to infants and toddlers. Future investigation of exposure sources is warranted to identify opportunities to minimize exposures during these sensitive periods of development.
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