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Personal care product use among adults in NHANES: associations between urinary phthalate metabolites and phenols and use of mouthwash and sunscreen

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 27, pages 326–332 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Personal care product use is a well-established pathway of exposure for notable endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), including phthalates, parabens, triclosan, benzophenone-3 (BP3), and bisphenol-A. We utilized questionnaire data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2012 cycles to examine the associations between use of sunscreen and mouthwash and urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and phenols in a nationally representative population of US adults (n=3529). Compared with individuals who reported “Never” using mouthwash, individuals who reported daily use had significantly elevated urinary concentrations of mono-ethyl phthalate, methyl and propyl parabens, and BP3 (28%, 30%, 39%, and 42% higher, respectively). Individuals who reported “Always” using sunscreen had significantly higher urinary concentrations of triclosan, methyl, ethyl, and propyl parabens, and BP3 (59%, 92%, 102%, 151%, and 510% higher, respectively) compared with “Never” users of sunscreen. Associations between exposure biomarkers and sunscreen use were stronger in women compared with men, and associations with mouthwash use were generally stronger in men compared with women. These results suggest that sunscreen and mouthwash may be important exposure sources for EDCs.

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Acknowledgements

Funding support was provided by that National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, grant numbers: P42ES017198, R01ES018872, and P30ES017885.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Kelly K Ferguson, Justin A Colacino, Ryan C Lewis & John D Meeker

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  1. Kelly K Ferguson
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  2. Justin A Colacino
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  3. Ryan C Lewis
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  4. John D Meeker
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Correspondence to Kelly K Ferguson.

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Ferguson, K., Colacino, J., Lewis, R. et al. Personal care product use among adults in NHANES: associations between urinary phthalate metabolites and phenols and use of mouthwash and sunscreen. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27, 326–332 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2016.27

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