Patterns, Variability, and Predictors of Urinary Triclosan Concentrations during Pregnancy and Childhood

Abstract

Exposure to triclosan, an antimicrobial used in many consumer products, is ubiquitous in the United States, yet only limited data are available on the predictors and variability of exposure, particularly in children. We examined the patterns, variability, and predictors of urinary triclosan concentrations in 389 mother–child pairs enrolled in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment Study from 2003 to 2006. We quantified triclosan in 3 urine samples collected from women between 16 weeks of pregnancy and birth and 6 urine samples collected from children between the ages of 1–8 years. For maternal and child samples, we calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to assess triclosan reproducibility and identified sociodemographic predictors of triclosan. Among 8 year old children, we examined associations between triclosan and personal-care product use. We detected triclosan in >70% of urine samples. Median maternal triclosan varied across pregnancy from 17 to 11 ng/mL, while in children, median concentrations increased from 3.6 to 17 ng/mL over the first 4 years of life, declining slightly at later ages. Triclosan reproducibility was fair to good during pregnancy and for child samples taken weeks apart (ICCs = 0.4–0.6) but poor for annual child samples (ICCs = 0.2–0.4). Triclosan was 66% (95% CI: 29–113) higher in 8 year olds using hand soap compared to nonusers and increased monotonically with hand-washing frequency. Toothpaste use in children was also positively associated with triclosan. Our results suggest that urinary triclosan concentrations have modest stability over weeks to months; children are exposed to triclosan through the use of some personal-care products.

Identifying Vulnerable Periods of Neurotoxicity to Triclosan Exposure in Children

“…However, this within-person variation was critical for us to identify potential time periods of heightened vulnerability. Urinary triclosan concentrations were relatively constant and had fair reproducibility [intraclass correlation coefficients ] during gestation and at delivery in this cohort ( Stacy et al. 2017a ).…”

“…2008 ) and other previous cohorts of pregnant women and children ( ) ( Philippat et al. 2015 ; Stacy et al. 2017a ; Teitelbaum et al.…”

“…This statistical model has been previously used to investigate periods of vulnerability to other environmental exposures, including lead and bisphenol A ( Sánchez et al. 2011 ; Stacy et al. 2017a ).…”

“…In regression models, we adjusted for variables that may be associated with both triclosan exposure and child cognitive abilities based on the results of previous studies and a directed acyclic graph (see Figure S1; Textor et al. 2016 ) ( Bellinger 2004 ; Stacy et al. 2017a , 2016 ).…”

“…Triclosan exposure is ubiquitous among persons in the United States, including pregnant women and children ( Calafat et al. 2008 ; Stacy et al. 2017a ; Woodruff et al.…”