Maternal phthalate and bisphenol urine concentrations during pregnancy and early markers of arterial health in children. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Maternal Phthalate and Bisphenol Urine Concentrations during Pregnancy and Early Markers of Arterial Health in Children.
Environ Health Perspect. 2022 04 ;130(4):47007. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PMID: 35471947
Sophia M Blaauwendraad
BACKGROUND: Fetal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenols might lead to fetal cardiovascular developmental adaptations and predispose individuals to cardiovascular disease in later life.
OBJECTIVES: We examined the associations of maternal urinary bisphenol and phthalate concentrations in pregnancy with offspring carotid intima-media thickness and distensibility at the age of 10 y.
METHODS: In a population-based, prospective cohort study of 935 mother-child pairs, we measured maternal urinary phthalate and bisphenol concentrations at each trimester. Later, we measured child carotid intima-media thickness and distensibility in the children at age 10 y using ultrasound.
RESULTS: Maternal urinary average or trimester-specific phthalate concentrations were not associated with child carotid intima-media thickness at age 10 y. Higher maternal average concentrations of total bisphenol, especially bisphenol A, were associated with a lower carotid intima-media thickness [differencesstandard deviation score and 95% confidence interval (CI):,and(95% CI:,) per interquartile range (IQR) increase in maternal urinary total bisphenol and bisphenol A concentration]. Trimester-specific analysis showed that higher maternal third-trimester total bisphenol and bisphenol A concentrations were associated with lower child carotid intima-media thickness [differences(95% CI:,) and(95% CI:,) per IQR increase in maternal urinary bisphenol concentration]. Maternal urinary bisphenol or phthalate concentrations were not associated with child carotid distensibility.
DISCUSSION: In this large prospective cohort, higher maternal urinary bisphenols concentrations were associated with smaller childhood carotid intima-media thickness. Further studies are needed to replicate this association and to identify potential underlying mechanisms. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10293.
