Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol 2012; 216 - P44
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1309136

Urine levels of phthalate metabolites in newborns and pregnant women as a measure of Phthalate exposure during pregnancy

U Enke 1, HM Koch 2, C Paelmke 2, E Schleußner 1, L Seyfarth 1
  • 1Department of Obstretrics and Gynecology, Placentalabor, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany
  • 2Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany

Objectives:

Phthalatic acid esters, also known as phthalates, have been widely used as plasticizers and therefore became ubiquitous in the developed countries. Many studies have reported different biological consequences of phthalate exposure, e.g. reproductive and developmental toxicity due to their action as endrocrine disruptors. Therefore, phthalates are banned from products for babies and infants such as toys.

10 years ago, DEHP (lipophilic and characterized by long side chains) was the mainly used phthalate. Nowadays, new types of phthalates have also long but branched side chains, such as DiNP or DiDP. In contrast to the fast metabolized and excreted DEHP, only a low percentage of DiNP or DiDP is excreted immediately. What happens to those substances? Are they stored in the maternal lipid depots in the beginning of pregnancy and is there a release towards birth, when the fetal requirements for e.g. energy or essential fatty acids are highest?

Methods:

By applying LC-MS technique, we determined a wide range of phthalate metabolites (with special emphasis on DEHP, DiNP and DiDP) in urine of pregnant women during pregnancy (n=16) as well as in urine of newborns at day 0 to 5 post partum after uncomplicated pregnancy at term (n total=28).

Results and Conclusions:

Metabolites of different long and short chain phthalates could be detected in all maternal and newborn urine samples with strong individual differences. Accumulation of all types of phthalates in fetal tissue obviously occurs already during pregnancy which is reflected by metabolite excretion in the first urine after birth. Distribution pattern of single phthalate metabolites differ between maternal and newborn urine which may rely on premature fetal/newborn metabolism or enhanced accumulation/transport of phthalate metabolites during pregnancy.

Therefore, threshold values for phthalate exposure for adults are probably non-transferable during pregnancy and hence should be revised and re-evaluated.