| Exposure of the U.S. Population to
Bisphenol A and 4-tertiary-Octylphenol: 2003–2004 Antonia M. Calafat, Xiaoyun Ye, Lee-Yang
Wong, John A. Reidy, and Larry L. Needham Division of Laboratory Sciences, National
Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA Abstract
Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-tertiary-octylphenol (tOP) are industrial chemicals used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins (BPA) and nonionic surfactants (tOP) . These products are in widespread use in the United States. Objectives: We aimed to assess exposure to BPA and tOP in the U.S. general population. Methods: We measured the total (free plus conjugated) urinary concentrations of BPA and tOP in 2,517 participants ≥ 6 years of age in the 2003–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution–high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results: BPA and tOP were detected in 92.6% and 57.4% of the persons, respectively. Least square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations of BPA were significantly lower in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic blacks (p = 0.006) and non-Hispanic whites (p = 0.007) ; LSGM concentrations for non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites were not statistically different (p = 0.21) . Females had statistically higher BPA LSGM concentrations than males (p = 0.043) . Children had higher concentrations than adolescents (p < 0.001) , who in turn had higher concentrations than adults (p = 0.003) . LSGM concentrations were lowest for participants in the high household income category (> $45,000/year) . Conclusions: Urine concentrations of total BPA differed by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and household income. These first U.S. population representative concentration data for urinary BPA and tOP should help guide public health research priorities, including studies of exposure pathways, potential health effects, and risk assessment. Key words: biomarkers, biomonitoring, BPA, exposure, NHANES, tOP, urine. Environ Health Perspect 116: 39–44 (2008) . doi:10.1289/ehp.10753 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 24 October 2007]
Address correspondence to A.M. Calafat, Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy., NE, Mailstop F53, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. Telephone: (770) 488-7891. Fax: (770) 488-4371. E-mail: Acalafat@cdc.gov Supplemental Material is available online at http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/10753/suppl.pdf We thank J. Pirkle for the critical review of this manuscript and J. Ekong for technical assistance. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 9 August 2007 ; accepted 22 October 2007.
The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |
