Italian Children Exposure to Bisphenol A: Biomonitoring Data from the LIFE PERSUADED Project

Abstract

A human biomonitoring (HBM) study on bisphenol A (BPA) in Italian children and adolescents was performed within the LIFE PERSUADED project, considering the residing areas, sex and age. The median urinary BPA level was 7.02 µg/L, with children living in the South of Italy or in urban areas having higher levels than those residing in the North or in rural areas. Children aged 4-6 years had higher BPA levels than those aged 7-10 and 11-14 years, but no differences were detected between sexes. The exposure in Italian children was higher compared to children from other countries, but lower than the HBM guidance value (135 µg/L). The estimated daily intake was 0.17 μg/kg body weight (bw) per day, about 24-fold below the temporary Tolerable Daily Intake of 4 μg/kg bw per day established by the European Food Safety Authority. However, this threshold was exceeded in 1.44% of the enrolled children, raising concern about the overall exposure of Italian young population.

Keywords: Bisphenol A; age; children exposure; endocrine disruptor; geographical areas; human biomonitoring.

Figure 1

Box plots for BPA levels in urine samples of Italian children stratified by macro-area and area and normalized to urine creatinine content (µg/g). Outliers above 150 µg/g were excluded from the graph to improve box plot visibility. Asterisks indicate the level of significance: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.

Figure 2

Box plots for BPA levels in urine samples of Italian children stratified by macro-area and age classes and normalized to urine creatinine content (µg/g). Outliers above 150 µg/g crea were excluded from the graph to improve box plot visibility. Asterisks indicate the level of significance: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.