Meconium Exposure to Phthalates, Sex and Thyroid Hormones, Birth Size and Pregnancy Outcomes in 251 Mother-Infant Pairs from Shanghai.

Jialin Guo,Bo Chen,Ruihua Dong,Min Wu,Jingsi Chen,Shuguang Li,Xi Gao

doi:10.3390/ijerph17217711

Abstract

Phthalates are hormonally active pollutants. In-utero exposure to phthalates has been reported to be associated with birth size parameters and pregnancy outcomes. However, previous reports were inconsistent. We examined the associations between meconium exposure to phthalates and the effects on birth size parameters, pregnancy outcomes and sex and thyroid hormones in 251 mother–infant pairs from a Shanghai hospital. We measured 10 metabolites of phthalates in meconium samples collected during the first 24h after delivery. Information on seven birth size parameters (birth weight, birth length, abdominal circumference, head circumference, femur length, biparietal diameter and anogenital distance) and three pregnancy outcomes (gestational diabetes, premature rupture of membrane, and premature birth) was available from the birth record. Concentrations of free testosterone, estradiol (E2), thyroid stimulating hormone, concentrations of total and free thyroxine and triiodothyronine were measured from cord blood. Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression were used to estimate associations between phthalate exposure and health outcomes. mono-iso-butylphthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butylphthalate (MnBP) and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP) were positively associated with birth length and femur length which seemed more obvious in female newborn; MiBP, MnBP and mono-2-ethylhexylphthalate (MEHP) were positively associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) only in mothers with male newborns; monomethyl phthalate (MMP), MiBP and MEOHP were positively associated with E2 in male newborns. This study indicates that meconium exposure to phthalates may adversely affect some fetal growth parameters and GDM with a potential gender effect.

Highlights

Phthalates are environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) that are widely used in daily consumer products, resulting in ubiquitous human exposure [1,2]
The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive study to examine the associations between meconium exposure to phthalates, sex and thyroid hormones, and birth size parameters and pregnancy outcomes in 251 mother–infant pairs in Shanghai, China
The study explored the effects of meconium exposure to phthalates on a series of health endpoints including birth size parameters, pregnancy outcomes, and fetal sex and thyroid hormones

Summary

Introduction

Phthalates are environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) that are widely used in daily consumer products, resulting in ubiquitous human exposure [1,2]. While adult exposure to these chemicals is of importance, the exposure of fetuses and/or infants is of primary concern since those groups are extremely sensitive to the effects caused by phthalates with endocrine disruption properties [3,4]. Growing evidence suggests that in-utero exposure to phthalates may result in adverse birth outcomes, including the reduction in anogenital distance (AGD), weight and length at birth, and gestational age, as well as the increased risk of preterm delivery [5,6,7,8]. Previous findings on these correlations are still controversial. Such controversy may result from different levels of exposure, limit. Public Health 2020, 17, 7711; doi:10.3390/ijerph17217711 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion