Bisphenol A and six other environmental phenols in urine of children and adolescents in Germany - human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey 2014-2017 (GerES V)

Abstract

Exposure to environmental phenols such as bisphenol A, benzophenones, 2-phenylphenol, triclosan, and triclocarban is of concern, because of their endocrine disrupting properties and broad application in consumer products. The current body burden of the 3-17-year-old population in Germany to these substances was assessed in first-morning void urine samples (N = 515-516) collected within the population-representative German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V). Bisphenol A was the most prominent phenol analysed here, ubiquitously found in almost all samples with a geometric mean (GM) concentration of 1.905 μg/L (1.669 μg/g_creatinine) and a maximum (MAX) urinary concentration of 399 μg/L. Benzophenone-3 and benzophenone-1 were quantified in 35% and 41% of the samples. GM was below the limit of quantification (LOQ) for benzophenone-3 and 0.559 μg/L (0.489 μg/g_crea) for benzophenone-1, MAX concentrations were 845 μg/L and 202 μg/L, respectively. In 16% of the samples triclosan was found in quantifiable amounts resulting in a GM below LOQ and a MAX concentration of 801 μg/L. Benzophenone-8, 2-phenylphenol and triclocarban were quantified in none or only 1% of the samples. Benzophenone-1 and -3 concentrations were found to be associated with frequent application of personal care products. A comparison with the previous cycle of the survey, GerES IV (2003-2006), showed a decrease of urinary bisphenol A concentrations, mainly in young children. Despite this decrease, the concentration of bisphenol A exceeded the human biomonitoring (HBM) value HBM-I of 0.1 mg/L in 0.11% of the samples. For triclosan, all urinary concentrations were well below the HBM-I value of 2 mg/L. To minimise environmental health risks, it is therefore necessary to maintain a further declining trend for bisphenol A and continue monitoring the exposure to environmental phenols, as well as to monitor substitutes such as bisphenol F and S.

Keywords: Benzophenone; Endocrine disruptor; Phenylphenol; Risk assessment; Triclocarban; Triclosan.