title: [Phthalate exposure in the neonatal intensive care unit].
abstract: There are growing concerns on long-term health consequences, notably on fertility rates, of plasticizers such as phthalates. While di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is currently used in several medical devices, newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit are both more exposed and more vulnerable to DEHP. The objectives of this study were to identify, count, and describe possible sources of DEHP in a neonatal care unit. Our method consisted in the listing and the inspection of the information on packaging, complemented by contact with manufacturers when necessary. According to the results, 6% of all products and 10% of plastic products contained some DEHP; 71% of these involved respiratory support devices. A vast majority of the items showed no information on the content of DEHP. Further research is needed, particularly to determine the effects of such an early exposure and to study and develop safer alternatives.
authors.affiliation: Service de néonatologie, département médico-chirurgical de pédiatrie, université de Lausanne, CHU Vaudois, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fischer Fumeaux
authors.affiliation: Service de néonatologie, département médico-chirurgical de pédiatrie, université de Lausanne, CHU Vaudois, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stadelmann Diaw
authors.affiliation: Service de néonatologie, département médico-chirurgical de pédiatrie, université de Lausanne, CHU Vaudois, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse; École de pharmacie Lausanne-Genève, section des sciences pharmaceutiques, université de Lausanne et université de Genève, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse; Service de pharmacie, CHU Vaudois, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Palmero
authors.affiliation: Service d'ingénierie biomédicale, CHU Vaudois, Lausanne, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: M'Madi
authors.affiliation: Service de néonatologie, département médico-chirurgical de pédiatrie, université de Lausanne, CHU Vaudois, avenue Pierre-Decker 2, CH-1011 Lausanne, Suisse. Electronic address: jean-francois.tolsa@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tolsa
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D010795:Phthalic Acids; C032279:phthalic acid