Parental phenols exposure and spontaneous abortion in Chinese population residing in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 217 - 222
• Main Authors: Chen, Xiaojiao, Chen, Minjian, Xu, Bo, Tang, Rong, Han, Xiumei, Qin, Yufeng, Xu, Bin, Hang, Bo, Mao, Zhilei, Huo, Weiwei, Xia, Yankai, Xu, Zhengfeng, Wang, Xinru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: 4-n-Octylphenol; abortion (animals); Abortion, Spontaneous; Abortion, Spontaneous - chemically induced; Abortion, Spontaneous - epidemiology; Adult; adverse effects; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Asian People; Biological and medical sciences; bisphenol A; body weight; case-control studies; chemically induced; children; China; China - epidemiology; confidence interval; Environment. Living conditions; epidemiology; Female; Housing; Humans; laboratory animals; litter size; Male; mass spectrometry; Maternal Exposure; Maternal Exposure - adverse effects; Medical sciences; odds ratio; Parental urinary exposure; Pentachlorophenol; Phenol; Phenol - poisoning; poisoning; Pregnancy; pregnancy outcome; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; risk; Rivers; Spontaneous abortion; Yangtze River; Asia; China; Yangtze River; 2,3,4-TCP; APEs; APs; Spontaneous abortion; CI; BP-3; UPLC–MS/MS; CR; 4-n-OP; LODs; ORs; 4-n-Octylphenol; BPA; 4-n-NP; Pentachlorophenol; PCP; Parental urinary exposure; WHO; BMI; Biological fluid; Pregnancy disorders; Halophenols; Parent; Toxicity; Spontaneous; Surfactant polymer; Abortion; Epidemiology; Resident; Woman; Public health; Human; Urine; Mimetic hormone; Non ionic surfactant; Elimination; Endocrine disruptor; Rivers; Pollutant; Phenols; Degradation product; benzophenone-3; limits of detection; ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; creatinine; 4-n-nonylphenol; odds ratios; World Health Organization; body mass index; alkylphenols; 2,3,4-trichlorophenol; alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ethers; bisphenol A; confidence interval
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.04.067

•We focused on parental phenol exposure and spontaneous abortion.•Urinary parental concentrations of phenols were detected.•Paternal PCP exposure increased the risk of spontaneous abortion.•Maternal AP exposure increased the risk of spontaneous abortion. Widespread use of phenols has led to ubiquitous exposure to phenols. In experimental animals, phenols increased resorptions, reduced live litter size and fetal body weights. However, there are limited epidemiological evidences of the relationships between exposure to phenols and pregnancy outcomes. We evaluated the associations between parental urinary levels of various phenols and spontaneous abortion in a Chinese population residing in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A case-control study was conducted that included 70 case couples with medically unexplained spontaneous abortion and 180 control couples who did not have a history of spontaneous abortion and had at least one living child. Both parental urinary phenols were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry including bisphenol A (BPA), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 2,3,4-trichlorophenol (2,3,4-TCP), pentachlorophenol (PCP), 4-n-octylphenol (4-n-OP) and 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP). Compared with the low exposure group, there was an increased risk of spontaneous abortion with high paternal urinary PCP concentration [odds ratio (OR)=2.09, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 1.05–4.14], and maternal exposure to 4-n-OP and alkylphenol(s) also significantly increased the risk of spontaneous abortion (OR=2.21, 95% CI, 1.02–4.80; OR=2.81, 95% CI, 1.39–5.65, respectively). Our study firstly provides the evidence that paternal PCP exposure, maternal 4-n-OP and alkylphenol(s) exposure are associated with spontaneous abortion in humans.