The LIFE PERSUADED project approach on phthalates and bisphenol A biomonitoring in Italian mother-child pairs linking exposure and juvenile diseases

Abstract

Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), plasticizers used in several products of daily life, are considered as endocrine disrupters, therefore children exposure is particularly relevant. The LIFE PERSUADED project aims to define the following: (a) the evaluation of internal levels of DEHP’s metabolites and BPA in Italian children and their mothers, (b) the association of the exposure with puberty development and obesity diseases, and (c) the effects of exposure in juvenile in vivo model. The cross-sectional study has involved 2160 mother-child pairs, including males and females, children and adolescents, from urban and rural areas of North, Center, and South Italy. A structured questionnaire and a food diary are designed to evaluate the association between lifestyle variables potentially related to DEHP/BPA exposure and internal levels, through univariate and multivariate analyses. Two pilot case-control studies are carried out on idiopathic premature thelarche and precocious puberty (30 girls each group, aged 2–7 years) and idiopathic obesity (30 boys and 30 girls, aged 6–10 years), matched to healthy controls. BPA and DEHP’s metabolites are analyzed in urine samples from all recruited subjects. Clinical and toxicological biomarkers are evaluated in serum of case-control subjects. Moreover, the toxicity study is carried out in a juvenile rodent model exposed to mixtures of BPA and DEHP at dose levels recorded in children population. The scientific results of LIFE PERSUADED will contribute to risk assessment of BPA and DEHP.

Lifestyle Habits and Exposure to BPA and Phthalates in Women of Childbearing Age from Northern Italy: A Pilot Study

“…The determinants of BPA and phthalate exposure were recorded through a structured telephone interview conducted by qualified personnel. In particular, the questions were extrapolated from the questionnaire designed in the LIFE PERSUADED ("Phthalates and bisphenol A biomonitoring in Italian mother-child pairs: link between exposure and juvenile diseases") project [37], funded by the European Commission (under grant agreement LIFE13 ENV/IT/000482). Briefly, the LIFE PERSUADED questionnaire evaluated the association between demographic and lifestyle variables potentially related to DEHP/BPA exposure and internal levels in children and their mothers [37].…”

“…In this ancillary study, in collaboration with the LIFE PERSUADED project, some elements of the LIFE PERSUADED questionnaire [37] were used to collect information on environmental factors, lifestyle and food habits that exposed women to EDCs. All investigated exposure determinants are listed in Table 1.…”

“…Phthalate and BPA exposure determinants. Phthalate and BPA determinants of exposure were explored through a structured telephone interview extrapolating questions from the LIFE PERSUADED ("Phthalates and bisphenol A biomonitoring in Italian mother-child pairs: link between exposure and juvenile diseases") Project questionnaire [37]. Data are presented as the frequency of subjects reporting the lifestyle habits listed in the table and expressed as percentages.…”

“…As shown in Table 2, 50% of women enrolled were aged less than 36 years old; overall they were healthy (12.9% of women were affected by chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic migraine, hypothyroidism or healthy carrier of beta-thalassemia), with body weight and fat distribution suggestive of low metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk. In particular, 62.8% of women were normal weight [40]; 79.5% of them had WC lower than 88 cm (WC, cutoff value <88.0 cm) [40]; WHR was lower or equal to 0.85 in all subjects (WHR, cutoff value <0.85) [47] and for 55.8% of subjects, the WHtR value was lower or equal to 0.48 (WHtR cutoff value <0.5) [37]; 58.1% of women had completed tertiary education and the majority of them were employed (12.9% were housewives and 87.1% other occupations), spending 8 h/day at work.…”

Toxicological Assessment of Oral Co-Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) in Juvenile Rats at Environmentally Relevant Dose Levels: Evaluation of the Synergic, Additive or Antagonistic Effects

“…Since these substances share some toxicological profiles and they usually coexist in food and environment, studies exploring the potential combined effects warrant wide attention. In this respect, in the frame of the LIFE PERSUADED project ( accessed on 10 February 2021), the juvenile toxicity test was selected to identify hazards potentially derived from the exposure to binary mixtures of DEHP and BPA, using data directly derived from the LIFE PERSUADED biomonitoring study in children [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 19 ]. In the juvenile study, animals are treated for 28 days during the peripubertal phase of development, resembling childhood and adolescence [ 20 , 21 ].…”