Estimated Daily Intake and Cumulative Risk Assessment of Phthalates in the General Taiwanese after the 2011 DEHP Food Scandal.
A food scandal occurred in Taiwan in 2011 because the DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) had been intentionally used in food products. We assessed the daily intakes (DIs) and cumulative risk of phthalates in Taiwan's general population after the scandal. The DIs of 6 phthalates, including di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), di-iso-butyl phthalate (DiBP), and DEHP, were evaluated using urinary phthalate metabolites. Hazard quotients of phthalates classified as affecting the reproductive (HQrep) and hepatic (HQhep) systems were assessed using cumulative approach. The creatinine-based model showed that the highest DI values in children 7-to 12- years-old were for DEHP (males: median: 4.79 μg/kg bw/d; females: median: 2.62 μg/kg bw/d). The 95thpercentile (P95) of HQrepvalues were all >1 in the 7- to 12-year-old and 18- to 40-year-old male groups. The P95 of HQhepvalues were all >1 in the 7- to 18- year-old male groups. Most of the HQrepwas attributable to the HQs of DnBP and DiBP (53.9-84.7%), and DEHP contributed most to HQhep(83.1-98.6%), which reveals that DnBP, DiBP and DEHP were the main risk of phthalate exposure for Taiwanese. Taiwan's general population is widely exposed to DnBP, DiBP and DEHP, especially for young children.
Research Center for Environmental Trace Toxic Substances, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Jung-Wei
JW
Chang
Research Center for Environmental Trace Toxic Substances, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Ching-Chang
CC
Lee
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.|Division of Preventive Medicine and Health Service Research, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Wen-Harn
WH
Pan
National Environmental Health Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Wei-Chun
WC
Chou
School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Han-Bin
HB
Huang
National Environmental Health Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Hung-Che
HC
Chiang
National Environmental Health Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan.|Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.|Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, Miaoli, Taiwan.
Po-Chin
PC
Huang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination; D059022:Food Safety; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013624:Taiwan; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D016482:Urinalysis; D055815:Young Adult
D010795:Phthalic Acids; C032279:phthalic acid