title: Maternal and infant exposure to environmental phenols as measured in multiple biological matrices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Results of recent national surveys have shown the high prevalence of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and triclosan (TCS) among the general population; however biomonitoring data for pregnant women and infants are limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n=80) were recruited from early prenatal clinics and asked to collect urine samples multiple times during pregnancy and once 2-3 months post-partum. Samples of infant urine and meconium as well as breast milk and infant formula were also collected. Biospecimens were analyzed by GC-MS/MS for BPA, TCS and triclocarban (TCC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Triclosan was detected in over 80% of the maternal urines (geometric mean (GM): 21.61 μg/L), 60% of the infant urines (GM: 2.8 μg/L), 46% of the breast milk and 80% of the meconium samples. Triclocarban was rarely detected in any of the biospecimens. Median total BPA concentrations were 1.21 and 0.24 μg/L in maternal and infant urines, respectively. Free BPA was detected in only 11% of infant urine samples. The meconium of female infants had significantly higher concentrations of total BPA and TCS than those of males, while no differences were observed in infant urine concentrations by sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found widespread exposure among pregnant women and infants to environmental phenols, with large inter-individual variability in exposure to triclosan. These data will contribute to the risk assessment of these chemicals, especially in susceptible sub-populations.
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada. Electronic address: Tye.Arbuckle@hc-sc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Tye E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Arbuckle
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Lorelle
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Russ
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Centre de Toxicologie du Québec (CTQ), Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dumas
authors.affiliation: Centre de Toxicologie du Québec (CTQ), Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bérubé
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neisa
authors.affiliation: Centre de Toxicologie du Québec (CTQ), Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.affiliation: Population Studies Division, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Carly
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Centre de Toxicologie du Québec (CTQ), Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada; Axe Santé des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Santé, Centre de recherche du CHU Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayotte
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feeley
authors.affiliation: Consumer Product Safety Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koniecki
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Perinatal Medicine, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tawagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols
keywords: Bisphenol A; Infant; Meconium; Pregnancy; Triclosan; Urine