title: Exposures to environmental phenols in Southern California firefighters and findings of elevated urinary benzophenone-3 levels.
abstract: Firefighters are at increased risk for exposure to toxic chemicals compared to the general population, but few studies of this occupational group have included biomonitoring. We measured selected phenolic chemicals in urine collected from 101 Southern California firefighters. The analytes included bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan, benzophenone-3 (BP-3), and parabens, which are common ingredients in a range of consumer products. BP-3, BPA, triclosan, and methyl paraben were detected in almost all study subjects (94-100%). The BP-3 geometric mean for firefighters was approximately five times higher than for a comparable National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) subgroup. Demographic and exposure data were collected from medical records and via a questionnaire, and covariates were examined to assess associations with BP-3 levels. BP-3 levels were elevated across all firefighter age groups, with the highest levels observed in the 35 to 39year old group. Body fat percentage had a significant inverse association with BP-3 concentrations. Our results indicate pervasive exposure to BP-3, BPA, triclosan, and methyl paraben in this population of firefighters, consistent with studies of other populations. Further research is needed to investigate possible explanations for the higher observed BP-3 levels, such as occupational or California-specific exposures.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Laboratory, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jed M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Waldman
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Laboratory, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Safer Alternatives Assessment and Biomonitoring Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Laboratory, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvaran
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Laboratory, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ho Sai Simon
authors.initials: HSS
authors.lastname: Ip
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fenster
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Nerissa T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Safer Alternatives Assessment and Biomonitoring Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krowech
authors.affiliation: Safer Alternatives Assessment and Biomonitoring Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.affiliation: Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rupali
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Laboratory, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA. Electronic address: jianwen.she@cdph.ca.gov.
authors.forename: Jianwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: She
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001577:Benzophenones / Q000652:urine*; D002140:California; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010636:Phenols / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D001577:Benzophenones; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; C005290:oxybenzone
keywords: Benzophenone-3; Biomonitoring; California; Environmental phenols; Firefighters