Caractérisation de l’exposition aux éthers de glycol d’un échantillon de population générale du Nord–Pas-de-Calais par biométrologie urinaire

Interventions to Reduce Exposure to Synthetic Phenols and Phthalates from Dietary Intake and Personal Care Products: a Scoping Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

A scoping review was conducted to identify interventions that successfully alter biomarker concentrations of phenols, glycol ethers, and phthalates resulting from dietary intake and personal care product (PCPs) use.

RECENT FINDINGS

Twenty-six interventions in populations ranging from children to older adults were identified; 11 actively removed or replaced products, 9 provided products containing the chemicals being studied, and 6 were education-only based interventions. Twelve interventions manipulated only dietary intake with a focus on bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, 8 studies intervened only on PCPs use and focused on a wider range of chemicals including BPA, phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and ultraviolet absorbers, while 6 studies intervened on both diet and PCPs and focused on phthalates, parabens, and BPA and its alternatives. No studies assessed glycol ethers. All but five studies reported results in the expected direction, with interventions removing potential sources of exposures lowering EDC concentrations and interventions providing exposures increasing EDC concentrations. Short interventions lasting a few days were successful. Barriers to intervention success included participant compliance and unintentional contamination of products. The identified interventions were generally successful but illustrated the influence of participant motivation, compliance, ease of intervention adherence, and the difficulty of fully removing exposures due their ubiquity and the difficulties of identifying "safer" replacement products. Policy which reduces or removes EDC in manufacturing and processing across multiple sectors, rather than individual behavior change, may have the greatest impact on population exposure.

Use of Cosmetic Products in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and Young Children: Guidelines for Interventions during the Perinatal Period from the French National College of Midwives

We conducted a literature review focusing on the use and health effects of cosmetics, especially among pregnant and lactating women and young children. Based on these data, we propose clinical practice guidelines for health care professionals to use for informing and advising their patients. These include the recommendations that families: (1) reduce the number and the frequency of use (grade B) and the amount applied (expert consensus) of all cosmetic products during the perinatal period and among children; (2) prefer simple, fragrance-free, and rinsable products, with short ingredient lists (expert consensus); and (3) for children, avoid industrial wipes and prefer water, with suitable soap when necessary.

Exposure of the French population to bisphenols, phthalates, parabens, glycol ethers, brominated flame retardants, and perfluorinated compounds in 2014-2016: Results from the Esteban study

BACKGROUND

As part of the French Human Biomonitoring (HBM) programme, the Esteban study described, among other things, biomarkers levels of various chemicals in adults (18-74 years old) and children (6-17 years old). This paper describes the design of the study and provides, for the first time, data on the biological exposure of the general French population to a wide range of contaminants posing a threat to human health which are currently found in domestic environments.

METHODS

Esteban is a cross-sectional study conducted on a nationwide sample of the French general population. Exposure biomarkers of six families of contaminants deemed detrimental to adults' and children's health were measured in biological samples collected either at participants' homes by a nurse, or brought to a National Health Insurance examination centre. All participants were randomly selected (2503 adults and 1104 children). The geometric mean and percentiles of the distribution of levels were estimated for each biomarker. Most of the descriptive statistical analyses were performed taking into account the sampling design.

RESULTS

Results provided a nationwide description of biomarker levels. Bisphenols (A, S and F), and some metabolites of phthalates and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) (specifically, PFOS and PFOA) were quantified in almost all the biological samples analysed. Higher levels were observed in children (except for PFCs). Levels were coherent with international studies, except for bisphenols S and F, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and parabens (with higher levels reported in the USA than in France).

CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVES

This study is the first to provide a representative assessment of biological exposure to domestic contaminants at the French population level. Our results show that the French general population was exposed to a wide variety of pollutants in 2014-2016, and identify the determinants of exposure. These findings will be useful to stakeholders who wish to advocate an overall reduction in the French population's exposure to harmful substances. Similar future studies in France will help to measure temporal trends, and enable public policies focused on the reduction of those chemicals in the environment to be evaluated.

Prenatal exposure to glycol ethers and visual contrast sensitivity in 6-year-old children in the PELAGIE mother-child cohort

BACKGROUND

Maternal occupational exposure to organic solvents during pregnancy has been associated with decreased visual function in offspring. Glycol ethers (GEs) belong to oxygenated solvents and are widely used both in occupational and domestic contexts.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to assess associations between prenatal GEs exposure and contrast sensitivity in children.

METHODS

Six GE alkoxy carboxylic acidic metabolites (methoxyacetic acid [MAA], ethoxyacetic acid [EAA], ethoxyethoxyacetic acid [EEAA], butoxyacetic acid [BAA], phenoxyacetic acid [PhAA], and 2-methoxypropionic acid [2-MPA]) were measured in first morning void urine samples collected from 220 early-pregnancy women, in the mother-child PELAGIE cohort (France). Trained investigators administered the Functional Acuity Contrast Test (FACT) to the 6-year-old children, providing scores for 5 spatial frequencies (1.5-18 cycles per degree (cpd)). We standardized biomarker urinary concentrations on urine sampling conditions. Values below the LOD were imputed based on log-normal distribution, generating five datasets for multiple imputation. Linear regression models were adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS

GE metabolites were detected in 70-98% of maternal urine samples. Phenoxyacetic acid (PhAA) had the highest median concentration (0.33 mg/L), and 2-methoxypropionic acid (2-MPA) the lowest (0.01 mg/L). Children with higher prenatal PhAA concentrations had poorer FACT scores at various spatial frequencies (fourth vs. first quartile: β_18cpd = -0.90 (95% confidence interval CI = -1.64, -0.16), β_12cpd = -0.92 (95%CI = -1.55, -0.29) and β_1.5cpd = -0.69 (95%CI = -1.19, -0.20)). The 2-MPA log-scale concentration was negatively associated with the FACT score at the 3-cpd stimulus.

DISCUSSION

PhAA is the metabolite of ethylene glycol monophenyl ether present in many cosmetics. 2-MPA is the metabolite of an isomer of propylene glycol methyl ether commonly present in household and industrial cleaning products. Although evidence of biological plausibility is lacking, the study suggests adverse impact of ubiquitous prenatal exposure to some GE on visual functioning among children.

Exposure to glycol ethers among 6-year-old children in France

Glycol ethers are an oxygenated solvent family widely present in consumer products. Some of them are recognized reproductive, developmental or hematological toxicants. Although several glycol ether biomonitoring studies have been performed on adults from working or general populations, no studies have hitherto been carried out on children. The aim of our study was to explore the detection of glycol ether metabolites in the urinary samples of 6-year-old children, and if any were found, to describe them. The PELAGIE mother-child cohort included 3421 pregnant women from the general population of Brittany, France, between 2002 and 2006. Our biomonitoring study included a random sample of 110 children from the PELAGIE cohort who had participated in a neurodevelopment evaluation at the age of six. First morning voids were collected from all of the children. Eight urinary glycol ether metabolites were measured using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The limit of detection was 0.003 mg/L for all metabolites. Glycol ether metabolites were detected at rates varying from 33.5% of samples for propoxyacetic acid to 100% of samples for phenoxyacetic acid and methoxyacetic acid. The highest median concentration observed was for phenoxyacetic acid (0.141 mg/l). Our study reported the ubiquitous presence of glycol ether metabolites in children's urinary samples. These results call for larger biomonitoring surveys of the general population and study of the potential sources and determinants of these exposures.

Prenatal exposure to glycol ethers and response inhibition in 6-year-old children: The PELAGIE cohort study

BACKGROUND

Exposure to glycol ethers (GEs) is suspected of impairing neurodevelopment in children, but the specific impact on their inhibitory capacity, a central deficit of ADHD, has never been studied. We aimed to assess the impact of prenatal exposure to GEs on the response inhibition of children aged six years.

METHODS

In total, 169 mother-child pairs from the French cohort PELAGIE (2002-2006) were studied. Maternal urinary concentrations of six GE metabolites (alkoxycarboxylic acids) were measured during pregnancy. Multiple imputation by quantile regression was used to handle non-detected values and the data were then classified into quartiles. Inhibition of children was evaluated by the Rhythmic Continuous Performance Test 90 (R-CPT90). The inhibition score (percentage of correct responses to non-target stimuli) was corrected for compliance with the instructions (percentage of correct responses to target stimuli). The analysis used a multiple linear regression model, adjusting for confounding factors for each metabolite.

RESULTS

Median concentrations of metabolites ranged from 0.02 mg/L (Ethoxyacetic acid, EAA) to 0.39 mg/L (Phenoxyacetic acid, PhAA). The median corrected inhibition score was 37.9% [first quartile: 29.8 - third quartile: 47.9]. We found a negative and statistically significant association between the inhibition score and prenatal urinary EAA concentration (p-trend = 0.03), with a significant β coefficient for the third quartile (β = -0.064; 95% confidence interval: -0.121, -0.007). There were no statistically significant associations for the other five metabolites.

CONCLUSION

These results are consistent with the hypothesis of possible impact of prenatal environmental exposure on inhibitory capacity among children. Data about the GEs metabolized to EAA (history of exposure sources and toxicokinetics) should be gathered to further interpret these results and guide precautionary measures.