title: Phthalate levels and related factors in children aged 6-12 years.
abstract: Although previous studies showed that children are widely exposed to phthalates, the sources of phthalate exposure for school-aged children in China are not well understood. This study aimed to assess phthalate metabolite levels and explore the factors influencing exposure in children. We collected demographic data and biological samples from 336 children aged 6-12 years. We calculated urinary concentrations of 14 mono-phthalate metabolites and conducted chi-square (χ2) tests and logistic regression analysis to determine the variables associated with phthalate levels. Mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) and mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) were the most abundant urinary phthalate metabolites. In addition, housing type, decorating materials in the home, and frequency of canned food consumption were associated with exposure to low molecular weight phthalates. Water source, duration of time spent playing with toys, residential area, and frequency of canned food consumption were associated with exposure to high molecular weight phthalates. Based on these results, potential strategies to reduce exposure to phthalates include avoiding plastic food containers and chemical fragrances as well as eating fewer processed foods, especially canned foods, and foods in plastic packaging.
authors.affiliation: School of Laboratory Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjia Lake West Road, Wuhan 430065, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment & Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment & Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Laboratory Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjia Lake West Road, Wuhan 430065, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei 442000, China. Electronic address: syanghb@163.com.
authors.forename: Jian-Ye
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment & Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address: zhouyk@mails.tjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yi-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002681:China; D004435:Eating; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D010969:Plastics
chemical_list: D010795:Phthalic Acids; D010969:Plastics
keywords: Phthalate metabolite; Relate factors; School-aged children