title: Urinary BPA measurements in children and mothers from six European member states: Overall results and determinants of exposure.
abstract: For the first time in Europe, both European-wide and country-specific levels of urinary Bisphenol A (BPA) were obtained through a harmonized protocol for participant recruitment, sampling and quality controlled biomarker analysis in the frame of the twin projects COPHES and DEMOCOPHES. 674 child-mother pairs were recruited through schools or population registers from six European member states (Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden). Children (5-12 y) and mothers donated a urine sample. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, life style, dietary habits, and educational level of the parents was provided by mothers. After exclusion of urine samples with creatinine values below 300 mg/L or above 3000 mg/L, 653 children and 639 mothers remained for which BPA was measured. The geometric mean (with 95% confidence intervals) and 90th percentile were calculated for BPA separately in children and in mothers and were named "European reference values". After adjustment for confounders (age and creatinine), average exposure values in each country were compared with the mean of the "European reference values" by means of a weighted analysis of variance. Overall geometric means of all countries (95% CI) adjusted for urinary creatinine, age and gender were 2.04 (1.87-2.24) µg/L and 1.88 (1.71-2.07) µg/L for children (n=653) and mothers (n=639), respectively. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant environmental, geographical, personal or life style related determinants. Consumption of canned food and social class (represented by the highest educational level of the family) were the most important predictors for the urinary levels of BPA in mothers and children. The individual BPA levels in children were significantly correlated with the levels in their mothers (r=0.265, p<0.001), which may suggest a possible common environmental/dietary factor that influences the biomarker level in each pair. Exposure of the general European population was well below the current health-based guidance values and no participant had BPA values higher than the health-based guidance values.
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: adrian.covaci@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covaci
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Den Hond
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tinne
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Geens
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Govarts
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Mol, Belgium.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koppen
authors.affiliation: University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
authors.forename: Hanne
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frederiksen
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lisbeth E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thit A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Mørck
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Public - Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Arno C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gutleb
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Public - Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Cedric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guignard
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Public - Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Emanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cocco
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horvat
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosjek
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Darja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazej
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Janja Snoj
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tratnik
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Argelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castaño
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cutanda
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo A G
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Jönsson
authors.affiliation: Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biot
authors.affiliation: University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ludwine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casteleyn
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Science International, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bloemen
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ovnair
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sepai
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Exley
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Mol, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoeters
authors.affiliation: Institute of Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angerer
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolossa-Gehring
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fiddicke
authors.affiliation: Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.affiliation: Institute of Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010636:Phenols / Q000652:urine*; D011156:Population Density; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
keywords: Bisphenol-A; Europe; Human biomonitoring; Human exposure; Mother–children pairs