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. 2016 Jan 6;13(1):105.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph13010105.

Personal Care Product Use in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Implications for Exposure Assessment

Carly Lang  1 , Mandy Fisher  2 , Angelica Neisa  3 , Leona MacKinnon  4 , Sandra Kuchta  5 , Susan MacPherson  6 , Adam Probert  7 , Tye E Arbuckle  8
Affiliations

Personal Care Product Use in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Implications for Exposure Assessment

Carly Lang et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Concern regarding the potential for developmental health risks associated with certain chemicals (e.g., phthalates, antibacterials) used in personal care products is well documented; however, current exposure data for pregnant women are limited. The objective of this study was to describe the pattern of personal care product use in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Usage patterns of personal care products were collected at six different time points during pregnancy and once in the postpartum period for a cohort of 80 pregnant women in Ottawa, Canada. The pattern of use was then described and groups of personal care product groups commonly used together were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed that product use varied by income and country of birth. General hygiene products were the most commonly used products and were consistently used over time while cosmetic product use declined with advancing pregnancy and post-delivery. Hand soaps and baby products were reported as used more frequently after birth. This study is the first to track personal care product use across pregnancy and into the postpartum period, and suggests that pregnant populations may be a unique group of personal care product users. This information will be useful for exposure assessments.

Keywords: concurrent use; exposure; personal care products; pregnancy; reproductive health; use patterns.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The total number of PCP applications with a 24 h period for all participants. The diamond inside the box indicates the mean value and the line inside the box indicates the median value. The bottom and top edges of the box indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles. The vertical lines represent the range of values with outliers indicated by circles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The total number of PCP applications within a 24 h period and household income group. The diamond inside the box indicates the mean value and the line inside the box indicates the median value. The bottom and top edges of the box indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles. The vertical lines represent the range of values with outliers indicated by circles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Average number of PCP applications per participant by income and 24 h study period.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of product use categories by study time period. See Table 1 for category definitions.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Prevalence of baby product use by study time period. Percentage of participants reporting use of the product at least once by study period.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Frequency of Use. The percentage of participants who applied a PCP 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5+ times in a 24 h period. The X-axis describes the time period.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The average number of product uses in each 24 h period. Results that are significantly different from the postpartum (T5) reference period (p ≤ 0.05) are indicated with an *.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Dendrogram representing hierarchical clustering from T1. (Three clusters of PCPs that are commonly used together are identified: Cluster 1 (Luxury)—”skinclea”, “lotion” and “face”; Cluster 2 (Daily)—”soap”, “condit”, “anti”, “shampoo”, “bodysoap”, “oral”); Cluster 3 (Beauty)—”hair”, “lip”, “makeup”, “eyemakeup”. PCPs with a height closer to zero are more closely related; PCPs with a height closer to 1 are not related.).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Total number of Daily PCPs (Cluster 2) used per participant by income category in T1.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Total number of Cluster 1 (Luxury) PCPs used by income for T1.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Total number of Cluster 2 (Daily) PCPs used by age for T1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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