Phthalates Exposure and Occupational Symptoms among Slovakian Hairdressing Apprentices

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to examine occupational exposure to phthalates of hairdressing apprentices from Slovakia (n = 74, 89.2% females; 10.8% males), outcomes related to body composition and pulmonary functions. We used high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to the quantified urinary concentration of phthalates. Pulmonary function test (PFT), anthropometric measurements, and questionnaire were also conducted. We observed a decrease of % of predicted values of forced vital capacity (FVC% of PV) related exposure to mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP; p = 0.054) and sum of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites ( DEHP; p = 0.037), and a decrease of % of predicted values of vital capacity (VC% of PV) related to exposure to MEOHP, DEHP (p = 0.008), and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP; p = 0.014) in females. We detected associations between forced vital capacity (FVC) with weight (p = 0.002) and fat-free mass index (FFMI, p = 0.010). Vital capacity (VC) and VC% of PV increased with weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), the waist-height ratio (WHtR), fat mass index (FMI) and FFMI in females (p ≤ 0.014). Results of multivariate regression between PFT and anthropometric parameters adjusted to phthalates indicated exposure to MnBP and MEHP, changing body structure (BMI and FMI), subsequently affecting values of FEV 1 /FVC. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 3321 2 of 15 esters were determined in five salons from the ten monitored in Taiwan by a walkthrough survey. Although concentrations of diester phthalates (dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, di[2-ethylhexyl] phthalate, and butyl benzyl phthalate) were below the occupational exposure limits, they were higher than what was found in general residential environments [19]. As a result, hairdressers are frequently occupationally exposed to phthalates contained in beauty products [20,21]. Health complications that affected various mucosal surfaces and oral and skin lesions, either independently or concurrently, have been significantly increased in the hairdressing apprentices [12,[22][23][24]. Dysfunction of pulmonary, immune, and other systems [10,[25][26][27] have been among various potential health impacts often ascribed to these exposures. The occupational environment of hairdressers has been found hazardous for the initiation of airway syndromes, varying from bronchial irritation to asthma [28] with a prevalence of 5%-25% [29][30][31]. Although most patients with occupational asthma are mature adults, there is evidence that the inflammation of airways started soon after early exposures in hairdressing apprenticeship [32,33]. Associations with other respiratory diseases and symptoms were also reported [12,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. Concerning outcomes of such exposures, as a possible mechanistic link to airway diseases, the modulatory effects on peroxisome proliferation activated receptors (PPAR) have been suggested [2].The aim of thi...

Occupational Hazards and Risks Associated with Phthalates among Slovakian Firefighters

“…In comparison with our previous occupational studies, we can state that firefighters reached the lower median and mean concentration than hairdressing apprentices and communal services workers for MEP, MnBP, and MEHP [19][20][21], and lower concentrations of 5OH-MEHP, 5oxo-MEHP [20,21], MiNP [18], and MiBP [20]. Based on the conclusions of our studies mentioned above, we hypothesize that prolonged exposure (months to years) to low concentrations of phthalates may have a modifying effect on body composition, which can result in changes in pulmonary function.…”

“…Work duties and personal protective clothing may be responsible for chemical exposure of firefighters, e.g., to phthalates. Phthalates, used as plasticizers in polyvinyl plastic materials (wire sheathing, flooring, wall coverings, furnishings, and vinyl siding), cosmetic, and other daily products [17,18] were also linked to human health outcomes in various occupational environment [19][20][21][22] and were connected to change of temperatures in the workplace [23]. Phthalate diesters make up a class of chemicals identified as a frequent contaminant of firefighter gear [24].…”

Occupational Exposures to Phthalates among Black and Latina U.S. Hairdressers Serving an Ethnically Diverse Clientele: A Pilot Study

“…We did not observe any statistically significant differences in phthalate metabolite concentrations between hairdressers from Black versus Dominican salons, although we cannot dismiss the possibility that our small sample size could have limited these comparisons (Table S3). While this is the first U.S. study to assess phthalate exposures among female hairdressers, two studies conducted by Kolena et al examined phthalate biomarker concentrations among Slovakian hairdressing apprentices. , Compared to hairdressers in our study, Kolena et al 2016 reported lower median MEP concentrations (122.7 ng/mL vs 87.1 ng/mL) and higher median MiBP (3.1 ng/mL vs 40.3 ng/mL), MEHP (1.4 ng/mL vs 4.3 ng/mL), and MnBP (11.8 ng/mL vs 81.2 ng/mL) concentrations among 68 majority female (97.1%) hairdressing apprenticies . Similarly, Kolena et al 2019 also reported lower median MEP concentrations (108 ng/mL) and higher MnBP (109 ng/mL) and MEHP (4.2 ng/mL) among 74 majority female (89.2%) hairdressing apprentices compared to hairdressers in our study .…”

“…Occupational exposure to phthalates could occur through several pathways, including dermal absorption and inhalation. Phthalates are semivolatile and have been detected in the air and dust collected from hair salons in the U.S. and other countries. − Despite the potential for disproportionate exposures, to our knowledge, only two studies to date measured phthalates among hairdressers via biomonitoring conducted in Slovakia. , Authors reported higher urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations among apprentice hairdressers compared to controls . Notably, no U.S. studies have assessed phthalate exposures among women working in hair salons.…”

Emerging Trends in Research on Food Compounds and Women’s Fertility: A Systematic Review

“…It has been confirmed that in-vitro fertilisation success rate seems to be highest during the summer months when the pollution of particulate matter (PM) is at its lowest [3]. Phthalates, which may negatively influence the fertility health of women [4], were found to affect the occupational health of hairdressers [5]. Some primary factors, such as excess body weight or underweight, also decrease the rate of fertility [6,7].…”