Department of Emergency Medicine, Gumi CHA Medical Center, CHA University, Gumi, Korea.
Department of Environmental Education, Kongju National University, Gongju, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Nov 20;38(45):e391. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e391.
Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals and may cause immunological disorders in children. Therefore, according to the region, we investigated urinary phthalates and BPA levels and the relationship between urinary phthalate, aeroallergen sensitization, and eosinophil count during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
In total, 203 schoolchildren (134 residential and 69 industrial) aged 7-10 years were enrolled between July 2021 and July 2022. The BPA, metabolites of four high-molecular-weight phthalates (Σ4HMWP) and three low-molecular-weight phthalates (Σ3LMWP), were measured in the urine samples. Total eosinophil count and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were also measured along with the skin prick test.
The two groups had no differences in terms of BPA. The industrial group had significantly more plastic container usage, and there was a difference in the Σ3LMWP ( < 0.001) between the two groups but no difference in the Σ4HMWP ( = 0.234). The quartiles of urinary Σ4HMWP and Σ3LMWP ( < were not associated with the total eosinophil count, vitamin D level, or TEWL. After adjusting for cofactors, the quartiles of urinary Σ4HMWP and Σ3LMWP were significantly associated with total eosinophil count ( < 0.001) but not with aeroallergen sensitization or vitamin D.
Exposure to phthalates was significantly associated with eosinophil count but not with aeroallergen sensitization or vitamin D. Therefore, reducing the use of plastic containers may effectively prevent exposure to phthalates and reduce Th2 cell-mediated inflammation in children.
邻苯二甲酸酯和双酚 A（BPA）是内分泌干扰化学物质，可能导致儿童免疫紊乱。因此，根据地区不同，我们调查了在 2019 冠状病毒病大流行期间儿童尿液中邻苯二甲酸酯和 BPA 水平以及尿液中邻苯二甲酸酯、变应原致敏和嗜酸性粒细胞计数之间的关系。
共纳入 203 名 7-10 岁的学龄儿童（134 名居住在居民区，69 名居住在工业区），他们于 2021 年 7 月至 2022 年 7 月期间入组。测量尿液中 BPA、四种高分子量邻苯二甲酸酯（Σ4HMWP）和三种低分子量邻苯二甲酸酯（Σ3LMWP）代谢物。同时还测量了总嗜酸性粒细胞计数和经皮水分丢失（TEWL），并进行了皮肤点刺试验。
两组间 BPA 无差异。工业区组塑料容器使用量明显较多，两组间 Σ3LMWP 存在差异（<0.001），但 Σ4HMWP 无差异（=0.234）。尿液中 Σ4HMWP 和 Σ3LMWP 的四分位数与总嗜酸性粒细胞计数、维生素 D 水平或 TEWL 均无关。在校正了混杂因素后，尿液中 Σ4HMWP 和 Σ3LMWP 的四分位数与总嗜酸性粒细胞计数显著相关（<0.001），但与变应原致敏或维生素 D 无关。
邻苯二甲酸酯的暴露与嗜酸性粒细胞计数显著相关，但与变应原致敏或维生素 D 无关。因此，减少塑料容器的使用可能会有效减少儿童对邻苯二甲酸酯的暴露，降低 Th2 细胞介导的炎症。
