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Association of phthalate exposure with anthropometric indices and blood pressure in first-grade children

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Abstract

We aimed to assess the relationship of urine phthalate metabolite concentrations with anthropometric indices, and blood pressure in first-grade children. We detected 11 phthalate metabolites in urine and estimated anthropometric indices, including skinfold measurements, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI) in 276 children aged 6–8 years. Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the associations between urinary phthalate metabolite levels, and anthropometric and blood pressure indices in a gender-specific manner. In boys, a 1-ng/mL increase in monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentration was associated with a 0.027-cm decrease in the skinfold measurement (95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.053 to 0.001), whereas a 1-ng/mL increase in mono-ethyl-phthalate (MEP) concentration was associated with a 0.016-mm Hg decrease in systolic blood pressure (95% CI, − 0.031 to 0.001). MBzP, mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), and MEOHP concentrations were also inversely associated with WC. However, in girls, MEP concentrations were positively associated with chest measurements, but were inversely associated with WC. A 1-ng/mL increase in monomethyl phthalate concentrations was associated with a 0.039-cm increase in skinfold measurements (95% CI, 0.002 to 0.076), whereas a 1-ng/mL increase in MECPP concentrations was associated with a 0.050 cm decrease in skinfold measurements (95% CI, − 0.095 to − 0.005). In this exploratory, cross-sectional analysis, we identified various interesting associations between different phthalate metabolite levels and anthropometric indices, which suggest that some of phthalate metabolite should be considered in addition to the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity.

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Abbreviations

WC:

Waist circumference

BMI:

Body mass index

MEOHP:

2-Ethyl-5-oxyhexyl phthalate

CI:

Confidence interval

MEHHP:

2-Ethyl-5-hydroxy-hexyl-phthalate

MBzp:

Monobenzyl phthalate

MEP:

Mono-ethyl-phthalate

PAE:

Phthalate ester

BzBP:

Benzylbutyl phthalate

DiNP:

Diisononyl phthalate

DnOP:

Di-n-Octyl phthalate

DEHP:

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate

DMP:

Dimethyl phthalate

DEP:

Diethyl phthalate

DBP:

Dibutyl phthalates

MBzP:

Monobenzyl phthalate

MEP:

Mono-ethyl-phthalate

MnBP:

Mono-n-butyl phthalate

MMP:

Monomethyl phthalate

MCOP:

Mono(carboxyoctyl)phthalate

MCPP:

Mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate

MOP:

Mono-iso-butyl phthalate

MEHP:

Mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

MECPP:

Mono-(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate

MEOHP:

2-Ethyl-5-oxyhexyl phthalate

ACN:

Acetonitrile

LC-MS/MS:

High-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

RSD:

Relative standard deviation

mPAE:

Mono-phthalate metabolite ester

SG:

Specific gravity

LOD:

Limit of detection

SBP:

Systolic blood pressure

DBP:

Diastolic blood pressure

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Acknowledgements

We greatly appreciate the co-operation of the children who participated in this study, and their parents.

Funding

This study received grants from the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine (No. 000936).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Laboratory Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjia Lake West Road, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Wei Wu, Ping Wu, Fang Yang, Dan-ling Sun & De-Xing Zhang

  2. MOE Key Laboratory of Environment & Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Yi-Kai Zhou

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  1. Wei Wu
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  2. Ping Wu
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  3. Fang Yang
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  4. Dan-ling Sun
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Correspondence to Wei Wu.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Wu, W., Wu, P., Yang, F. et al. Association of phthalate exposure with anthropometric indices and blood pressure in first-grade children. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 23125–23134 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2447-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2447-7

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