Phthalate Metabolites in Urine of Chinese Children and Their Association with Asthma and Allergic Symptoms

Yuxuan Zhao, Yuexia Sun (), Changqi Zhu, Ying Zhang, Jing Hou, Qinghao Zhang and Yeganeh Ataei
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Yuxuan Zhao: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Yuexia Sun: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Changqi Zhu: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Ying Zhang: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Jing Hou: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Qinghao Zhang: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
Yeganeh Ataei: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: Phthalates are ubiquitous ‘modern’ chemical compounds with potential negative impacts on children’s health. A nested case–control study was designed to investigate associations of phthalate exposure with children’s asthma and allergic symptoms. We collected 243 first morning urine samples from 4–8-year-old children in Tianjin, China. Eight metabolites (i.e., mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) and mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxylpentyl) phthalate (MECPP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP)) of five phthalates were analyzed using HPLC-MS. MiBP, MnBP and MECPP were the dominant phthalate metabolites in urine of children in Tianjin with median concentrations of 31.6 μg/L, 26.24 μg/L and 46.12 μg/L, respectively. We found significantly positive associations of diagnosed asthma with MnBP (adjusted odds ratios (AOR): 1.96; 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.07–3.61), MEHHP (AOR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.08–3.71) and MEOHP (AOR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.06–4.10). Our study indicates that phthalate exposure in childhood, especially to di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), may be a risk factor for children’s asthma.

Keywords: allergy; biomarkers; endocrine disruptors; phthalate metabolites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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