The association of urinary phosphorous-containing flame retardant metabolites and self-reported personal care and household product use among couples seeking fertility treatment

Mary E Ingle,John D Meeker,Heather M Stapleton,Russ Hauser,Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón,Paige L Williams,Jennifer B Ford,Craig M Butt,Courtney C Carignan

doi:10.1038/s41370-019-0122-9

Abstract

BackgroundPhosphorous-containing flame-retardants (PFRs) are widely detected. They are used both as a flame retardant as well as plasticizer.MethodsA subset of 230 women and 229 men were recruited from Massachusetts General Hospital fertility clinic between 2005 and 2015. At each visit, participants completed a questionnaire of personal care product (PCP) and household product (HP) use. Metabolites [bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), isopropylphenyl phenyl phosphate (ip-PPP), tert-butylphenyl phenyl phosphate and bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate] were measured in urine (1–5 samples; n = 638 women, n = 335 men). Associations were assessed using generalized mixed models, adjusted for SG, age, BMI, smoking, education, and season.ResultsIn women, moisturizer (60%), nail polish remover (77%), and nail polish (134%) use were associated (p < 0.05) with an increase in DPHP concentrations, while ip-PPP concentrations increased 21–27% with conditioner, cosmetics, deodorant, and hair product use. Mouthwash and vinyl glove use were associated with a respective 31% and 92% increase in DPHP among men.ConclusionsOur exploratory analysis suggests PFRs may be used as a plasticizer in consumer products, and nail polish use contributes to internal DPHP exposure. Further research is needed to understand how PFRs are used in these products and how it relates to exposure.

Highlights

IntroductionThe use of phosphorouscontaining flame retardants (FR) (PFRs) has grown drastically since the phase out of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the past decade due to concerns regarding their persistence and toxicity [3,4,5]
Supplementary information The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USADepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H
Our subset from the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) cohort consisted of 230 women and 229 men contributing one to five urine samples per participant (n = 638 women and n = 335 men)

Summary

Introduction

The use of phosphorouscontaining FRs (PFRs) has grown drastically since the phase out of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the past decade due to concerns regarding their persistence and toxicity [3,4,5]. They are used both as a flame retardant as well as plasticizer. Methods A subset of 230 women and 229 men were recruited from Massachusetts General Hospital fertility clinic between 2005 and 2015. Associations were assessed using generalized mixed models, adjusted for SG, age, BMI, smoking, education, and season

Methods

Results

Conclusion