Biomonitoring Study of Urinary Bisphenol A Levels and Impact of Bottle-Feeding Practices Among Infants and Children From Northern India.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the urinary bisphenol A (BPA) levels in bottle-fed and never bottle-fed infants and under-five children and to determine the impact of bottle-feeding practices and sociodemographic factors on urinary BPA levels.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out on children aged between 2 to 60 months attending the Anganwadi centres in Chandigarh.

RESULTS

Urine samples were collected from 184 children, out of which 94.56% (n = 174) children had detectable urinary BPA levels. The mean (SD) BPA level was 2.74 (2.60) ng/ml and BPA was detected in 93.9% of 'ever' bottle-fed children (n = 93/99) and 95.3% of 'never' bottle-fed children (n = 81/85) (P = 0.69). On multivariate regression analysis, there were no significant predictors for high (≥ 75th percentile) urinary BPA levels. Still, the odds of urinary BPA levels ≥75th percentile showed higher trend for significance among children from middle/higher socioeconomic background in reference to lower socioeconomic stratum (adjusted OR 7.02; 95% CI 1.24, 133.25; P = 0.07) and among children whose feeding bottles were brushed once or twice daily in reference to group with no daily brushing (adjusted OR 3.92, 95% CI 0.95, 20.56; P = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Although feeding with plastic bottle did not emerge as a statistically significant risk factor for BPA exposure, yet detection of BPA levels among majority of study children signals urgent need for unmasking exposure to other sources given the potential long-term toxicity of BPA among infants and young children.