title: Risk assessment based on urinary bisphenol A levels in the general Korean population.
abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high-volume industrial chemical used in the global production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are used in food and drink containers, such as tableware (plates and mugs). Due to its broad applications, BPA has been detected in human blood, urine and breast milk as well as environmental substances, including water, indoor and outdoor air, and dust. Indeed, exposure to high concentrations of BPA can result in a variety of harmful effects, including reproductive toxicity, through a mechanism of endocrine disruption. Our comparison of reported BPA urinary concentrations among different countries revealed that exposures in Korea may be higher than those in other Asian countries and North America, but lower than or similar to those in European countries. The current study included a total of 2044 eligible subjects of all ages. The subjects were evenly divided between males and females (48.58% and 51.42%, respectively). The geometric mean (GM) of pre-adjusted (adjusted) urinary BPA concentrations was 1.83μg/L (2.01μg/g creatinine) for subjects of all ages, and there was no statistically difference in BPA concentrations between males (1.90μg/L, 1.87μg/g creatinine) and females (1.76μg/L, 2.16μg/g creatinine). Multiple regression analysis revealed only one positive association between creatinine pre-adjusted urinary BPA concentration and age (β=-0.0868, p<0.001). The 95th percentile levels of 24-hour recall (HR), food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) and estimated daily intake (EDI) through urinary BPA concentrations were 0.14, 0.13, and 0.22μg/kg bw/day, respectively. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), a tolerable daily intake (tDI) of 20μg/kg bw/day was established for BPA from the available toxicological data. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established a temporary TDI of 4μg/kg bw/day based on current toxicological data. By comparing these TDIs with subjects' exposure, we conclude that there are no health concerns for any age group as a result of current levels of dietary exposure to BPA.
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hwang1963@korea.kr.
authors.forename: Myung-Sil
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ahra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Da-Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Mi
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Guiim
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kho
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Ki
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hui-Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Hyang
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Food & Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 187 Osongsaengmyeong2-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: inghwang@korea.kr.
authors.forename: In-Gyun
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000652:urine*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010636:Phenols / Q000652:urine*; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000032:analysis*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D055815:Young Adult; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; D010968:Plasticizers; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
keywords: Biomonitoring; Bisphenol A; Korean; Risk assessment; TDI