Phthalates and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid in Human Amniotic Fluid: Temporal Trends and Timing of Amniocentesis in Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Measures of prenatal environmental exposures are important, and amniotic fluid levels may directly reflect fetal exposures during hypothesized windows of vulnerability.Objectives: We aimed to detect various phthalate metabolites and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in human amniotic fluid, to study temporal exposure trends, and to estimate potential associations with gestational week of amniocentesis and maternal age and parity at amniocentesis.Methods: We studied 300 randomly selected second-trimester amniotic fluid samples from a Danish pregnancy-screening biobank covering 1980 through 1996. We used only samples from male offspring pregnancies. We assayed the environmental pollutants by liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and analyzed data using generalized linear regression models.Results: We detected the di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolite mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP) at a median concentration of 0.27 ng/mL [interquartile range (IQR): 0.20–0.37 ng/mL], the diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) metabolite mono(4-methyl-7-carboxyheptyl) phthalate (7cx-MMeHP) at 0.07 ng/mL (IQR: 0.05–0.11 ng/mL), and PFOS at 1.1 ng/mL (IQR: 0.66–1.60 ng/mL). An increase of 1 calendar year was associated with 3.5% lower [95% confidence interval (CI): –4.8%, –2.1%] 5cx-MEPP levels and with 7.1% higher (95% CI: 5.3%, 9.0%) 7cx-MMeHP levels. For each later gestational week of amniocentesis, 5cx-MEPP was 9.9% higher (95% CI: 4.8%, 15.2%), 7cx-MMeHP was 8.6% higher (95: CI: 2.7%, 14.9%), and PFOS was 9.4% higher (95: CI: 3.3%, 15.9%). We observed no associations with maternal age or parity.Conclusions: Measured metabolite levels appeared to parallel decreasing DEHP exposure and increasing DiNP exposure during the study period. The environmental pollutant levels were positively associated with later gestational age at amniocentesis during pregnancy weeks 12–22.

Determinants of maternal and fetal exposure and temporal trends of perfluorinated compounds

“…PFCs cross the placenta, but umbilical cord concentrations have in most studies been lower than those observed in maternal serum or plasma (Inoue et al 2004;Fromme et al 2010;Jensen et al 2012;Gützkow et al 2012). In the present study, we found higher levels of PFCs in maternal serum than in cord serum, which is consistent with previous studies (Monroy et al 2008;Hanssen et al 2010;Beesoon et al 2011).…”

“…However, a new study by Chen et al (2012) found an inverse association between PFOS levels and gestational age. PFC levels increase in fetuses as pregnancy progresses as a recent study by Jensen et al (2012) showed that PFOS increased in amniotic fluid by gestational week. Advancing gestational duration might therefore result in decreased maternal body burden of PFCs.…”

Current exposure of 200 pregnant Danish women to phthalates, parabens and phenols

“…Thus, a number of chemicals measured in maternal urine, serum and breast milk have also been found in amniotic fluid, cord blood and meconium (Ikezuki et al 2002, Main et al 2006, Barr et al 2007, Jensen et al 2012. A recent study has reported detectable levels of metabolites from two common phthalate diesters, di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid in amniotic fluid collected from Danish women (Jensen et al 2012).…”

Prenatal phthalate exposure and reproductive function in young men

“…In addition, since our maternal serum levels were similar to those Abbreviations: LOD, limit of detection; SD, standard deviation. cord blood levels, and to levels in amniotic fluid (Jensen et al, 2012), this indicates that fetuses are not protected from maternal exposure, and that maternal serum levels could be used as markers of fetal exposure. Although it has been suggested that phthalate exposure does not imply a decreased T production in the human fetus (Jensen et al, 2015;Johnson et al, 2012;Spade et al, 2014), DEHP has been reported to decrease T production in the human adult testis (Desdoits-Lethimonier et al, 2012;Hallmark et al, 2007).…”