title: Medications as a potential source of exposure to phthalates among women of childbearing age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association between the use of medications potentially containing phthalates and urinary concentrations of specific phthalate metabolites around conception.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women enrolled in the Environment and Reproductive Health project from 2006 to 2009 completed questionnaires about the use of medications and provided multiple urine samples before and after conception. We compared the mean urinary concentration of phthalate metabolites between users of phthalate containing medications and a matched unexposed control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One woman used Asacol(®) (mesalamine), which utilizes dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as a delayed release coating material, and had a mean urinary concentration of the main DBP metabolite 200 times higher than the controls (8176μg/L vs. 37.5μg/L). The three users of stool softeners had a higher concentration of the main diethyl phthalate (DEP) metabolite (8636μg/L vs. 714.2μg/L). Neither the three additional Prilosec(®) (omeprazole) users nor one cyclobenzaprine user had higher urinary concentration than controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Selected medications may be important sources of DBP and DEP exposures around conception.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Hernández-Díaz
authors: Yung-Cheng
authors: YC
authors: Su
authors: Allen A
authors: AA
authors: Mitchell
authors: Katherine E
authors: KE
authors: Kelley
authors: Antonia M
authors: AM
authors: Calafat
authors: Russ
authors: R
authors: Hauser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004363:Drug Utilization; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019804:Mesalamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000652:urine*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010795:Phthalic Acids; D000639:Amitriptyline; D019804:Mesalamine; C004704:cyclobenzaprine; D009853:Omeprazole