Urinary and air phthalate concentrations and self-reported use of personal care products among minority pregnant women in New York city.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational exposure assessment linking self-reported product use with air and urinary biomarker measurements.
PubMed 20354564 · doi:10.1038/jes.2010.13
What was done
Between May 2003 and July 2006, researchers surveyed 186 inner-city minority pregnant women in New York City during their third trimester regarding their use of seven personal care product categories over a 48-hour period: deodorant, perfume, hair spray, hair gel, nail polish or remover, liquid soap/body wash, and lotion/mist. Exposure was assessed via 48-hour personal air samples analyzed for diethyl phthalate (DEP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), alongside maternal spot urine samples analyzed for their primary monoester metabolites, monoethyl phthalate (MEP) and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP). Most air (97%) and urine (84%) samples were obtained within 2 days of questionnaire completion.
What was found
During the 48-hour period, 41% of women reported using perfume and 10% reported using nail products. In adjusted models, perfume use was associated with 2.3 times higher urinary MEP concentrations (95% CI: 1.6 to 3.3). Personal air DEP concentrations increased by 7% for each 25% increase in a composite score of the other six product categories (P < 0.05), but were not associated with perfume use. Air DEP correlated with urinary MEP only among women who did not use perfume (r = 0.51, P < 0.001). Nail product use showed no significant association with air DnBP or urinary MnBP concentrations.
Why it matters
This study identifies perfume as a primary contributor to diethyl phthalate exposure among pregnant urban women, demonstrating that specific personal care choices directly affect internal biomarker concentrations during a critical developmental window.
Limits
The study relied on self-reported 48-hour product use and single spot urine samples, which may not capture long-term exposure given the short biological half-life of phthalates. The sample size was modest (n = 186), nail product use had low prevalence (10%), specific product brands or ingredient formulations were not recorded, and findings in an urban minority cohort may not generalize to all populations.
Cited by
- supports Pregnant women who report using fragranced products have higher measured bodily levels of phthalates.