Abstract
Exposomics analyses have highlighted the importance of biomonitoring of human exposure to pollutants, even non-persistent, for the prevention of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) widely used in industry and in a large range of daily life products that increase the risk of endocrine and cardiometabolic diseases especially if the exposure starts during childhood. Thus, biomonitoring of exposure to these compounds is important not only in adulthood but also in childhood. This was the goal of the LIFE-PERSUADED project that measured the exposure to phthalates (DEHP metabolites, MEHP, MEHHP, MEOHP) and BPA in Italian mother–children couples of different ages. In this paper we describe the method that was set up for the LIFE PERSUADED project and validated during the proficiency test (ICI/EQUAS) showing that accurate determination of urinary phthalates and BPA can be achieved starting from small sample size (0.5 mL) using two MS techniques applied in cascade on the same deconjugated matrix.
Highlights
Plasticizers are colorless and odorless esters, mainly phthalates or bisphenols, that increase the elasticity of a material (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC)
The creation of materials suitable for the needs of consumer products led to the synthesis of new chemicals that are dangerous for human health since they interfere with the hormonal system [87]
In 1997 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defined the term endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) as “an exogenous agent that interferes with the production, release, transport, metabolism, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of developmental processes” (EPA 1997)
Summary
Plasticizers are colorless and odorless esters, mainly phthalates or bisphenols, that increase the elasticity of a material (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC). For these properties they are widely used in industry and in a large range of daily life products. The majority of these are considered as non-persistent pollutants and have a short half-life. The longer the exposure (e.g., prenatal or during childhood) the higher the risk [27]
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