Urinary bisphenol A and its alternatives among pregnant women: Predictors and risk assessment

Background: Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has been associated with various adverse health outcomes. Recently, an increasing concern on its alternatives such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) has been aroused due to the restriction use of BPA. Few studies have identified predictors of exposure to BPA alternatives and assessed their health risks. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of BPA and its alternatives and to assess their health risks among pregnant women. Methods: We detected first morning urinary concentrations of BPA and its alternatives (BPS and BPF) among 1097 pregnant women from an established Chinese cohort. A questionnaire was conducted to obtain demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and lifestyles. We examined the predictors of creatinine-adjusted urinary BPA and its alternatives concentrations using multivariable linear regression. Risk assessment of exposure to BPA and its alternatives was calculated based on the estimated of daily intake (EDI). Results: Geometric means of creatinine-adjusted urinary BPA, BPF, and BPS were 0.92, 0.12, and 0.08 mu g/g creatinine, respectively. Pregnant women from Wuhan had lower concentrations of BPA, BPF, and & sum;BPs (sum of BPA, BPF, and BPS) than those from Xiaogan. Intake of fried food was related to higher concentrations of BPA, and intake of pickled food was associated with higher concentrations of BPF and & sum;BPs. The maximum EDI values for exposure to BPA, BPF, BPS, and & sum;BPs ranged from 5.6428 to 13.3356 nmol/kg body weight/day, which were below the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for BPA defined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (18 nmol/kg body weight/day). The maximum hazard index (HI) value was 0.7409. Conclusion: Several predictors identified in this study may inform public recommendations to reduce exposure to BPA and its alternatives. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated predictors of exposure to BPA and its alternatives among pregnant women in China and found differences in exposure levels based on region and dietary habits. Intake of fried food and pickled food was associated with higher concentrations of the alternatives. Risk assessment showed that pregnant women's exposure to BPA and its alternatives was below the tolerable daily intake levels.