Cheng Bei-Jing, Xu Pei-Ru, Wei Rong, Li Xiu-de, Sheng Jie, Wang Su-Fang, Liu Kai-Yong, Chen Gui-Mei, Tao Fang-Biao, Wang Qu-Nan, Yang Lin-Sheng
School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
Outpatient Department of the Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Mar 25;762:144173. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144173. Epub 2020 Dec 24.
Biomonitoring studies have demonstrated extensive exposure of infants, children, and pregnant women to phthalates, but data on phthalate exposure and their determinants in Chinese older adults remain insufficient. This study aims to assess urinary phthalate metabolite levels, individual and cumulative exposure risk, and their determinants in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.
A total of 987 individuals aged 60 years or over were included in this study. The urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) of phthalates were calculated based on urinary metabolite levels. The associations between phthalate metabolite levels and potential determinants were examined using multiple linear regressions.
Detection rates of seven phthalate metabolites from the study population ranged from 63.83% to 99.39%. The highest median concentration was 43.64 μg/L (42.59 μg/g creatinine) for mono-butyl phthalate (MBP). The highest median EDI was 1.55 μg/kg-bw/day for diethyl phthalate (DBP). Nearly 5% of participants had high HI values exceeding 1, mainly attributed to DBP and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Furthermore, we found that females, higher body mass index (BMI), smoking, having two or more chronic diseases, and vegetable-based diets were significantly associated with higher levels of parts of phthalate metabolites. More interestingly, higher urine levels of high-molecular-weight (HMW) phthalate metabolites and lower urine levels of low-molecular-weight (LMW) phthalate metabolites were found in rural older adults than in urban older adults.
Chinese community-dwelling older adults are extensively exposed to phthalates, especially to DBP and DEHP. More attention should be paid to urban-rural differences in exposure to HMW and LMW phthalates and to phthalate exposure among older adults with overweight/obesity, females, and individuals who are current heavy smokers, have two or more chronic diseases, and consume vegetable-based diets.
生物监测研究表明，婴儿、儿童和孕妇广泛接触邻苯二甲酸盐，但关于中国老年人邻苯二甲酸盐暴露及其决定因素的数据仍然不足。本研究旨在评估中国社区居住老年人尿中邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物水平、个体和累积暴露风险及其决定因素。
本研究共纳入987名60岁及以上的个体。使用高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测量七种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物的尿水平。根据尿代谢物水平计算邻苯二甲酸盐的估计每日摄入量（EDI）、危害商数（HQ）和危害指数（HI）。使用多元线性回归检验邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物水平与潜在决定因素之间的关联。
研究人群中七种邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物的检出率在63.83%至99.39%之间。邻苯二甲酸单丁酯（MBP）的最高中位数浓度为43.64μg/L（42.59μg/g肌酐）。邻苯二甲酸二乙酯（DBP）的最高中位数EDI为1.55μg/kg体重/天。近5%的参与者的HI值高于1，主要归因于DBP和邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（DEHP）。此外，我们发现女性、较高的体重指数（BMI）、吸烟、患有两种或更多种慢性病以及以蔬菜为主的饮食与部分邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物的较高水平显著相关。更有趣的是，农村老年人尿中高分子量（HMW）邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物水平较高，而低分子量（LMW）邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物水平较低。
中国社区居住老年人广泛接触邻苯二甲酸盐，尤其是DBP和DEHP。应更多关注城乡在高分子量和低分子量邻苯二甲酸盐暴露方面的差异，以及超重/肥胖老年人、女性、当前重度吸烟者、患有两种或更多种慢性病以及以蔬菜为主食的个体的邻苯二甲酸盐暴露情况。
