Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 24, pages 459–466 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Parabens and phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors frequently used in personal care/beauty products, and the developing fetus may be sensitive to these chemicals. We measured urinary butyl-paraben (BP), methyl-paraben, propyl-paraben, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), and monoethyl phthalate (MEP) concentrations up to three times in 177 pregnant women from a fertility clinic in Boston, MA. Using linear mixed models, we examined the relationship between self-reported personal care product use in the previous 24 h and urinary paraben and phthalate metabolite concentrations. Lotion, cosmetic, and cologne/perfume use were associated with the greatest increases in the molar sum of phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations, although the magnitude of individual biomarker increases varied by product used. For example, women who used lotion had BP concentrations 111% higher (95% confidence interval (CI): 41%, 216%) than non-users, whereas their MBP concentrations were only 28% higher (CI: 2%, 62%). Women using cologne/perfume had MEP concentrations 167% (CI: 98%, 261%) higher than non-users, but BP concentrations were similar. We observed a monotonic dose–response relationship between the total number of products used and urinary paraben and phthalate metabolite concentrations. These results suggest that questionnaire data may be useful for assessing exposure to a mixture of chemicals from personal care products during pregnancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BMI:

body mass index

BP:

butyl-paraben

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CI:

confidence interval

DBP:

dibutyl phthalate

DEP:

diethyl phthalate

EDC:

endocrine-disrupting compound

MBP:

mono-n-butyl phthalate

MEP:

monoethyl phthalate

MP:

methyl-paraben

PP:

propyl-paraben

SG:

specific gravity

References

  1. Dodson RE, Nishioka M, Standley LJ, Perovich LJ, Brody JG, Rudel RA . Endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals in consumer products. Environ Health Perspect 2012; 120: 935–943.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Shen X, Wu S, Yan C . Impacts of low-level lead exposure on development of children: recent studies in China. Clin Chim Acta 2001; 313: 217–220.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Calafat AM, Wong LY, Ye X, Reidy JA, Needham LL . Concentrations of the sunscreen agent benzophenone-3 in residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003—2004. Environ Health Perspect 2008; 116: 893–897.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Calafat AM, Ye X, Wong LY, Bishop AM, Needham LL . Urinary concentrations of four parabens in the U.S. population: NHANES 2005-2006. Environ Health Perspect 2010; 118: 679–685.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Silva MJ, Barr DB, Reidy JA, Malek NA, Hodge CC, Caudill SP et al. Urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites in the U.S. population from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000. Environ Health Perspect 2004; 112: 331–338.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Rice D, Barone S, Jr. . Critical periods of vulnerability for the developing nervous system: evidence from humans and animal models. Environ Health Perspect 2000; 108 (Suppl 3): 511–533.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Andersen A . Final amended report on the safety assessment of methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben,iIsopropylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, and benzylparaben as used in cosmetic products. Int J Toxicol 2008; 27 (Suppl 4): 1–82.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Boberg J, Taxvig C, Christiansen S, Hass U . Possible endocrine disrupting effects of parabens and their metabolites. Reprod Toxicol (Elmsford, NY) 2010; 30: 301–312.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Oishi S . Effects of propyl paraben on the male reproductive system. Food Chem Toxicol 2002; 40: 1807–1813.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Oishi S . Effects of butyl paraben on the male reproductive system in mice. Arch Toxicol 2002; 76: 423–429.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Routledge EJ, Parker J, Odum J, Ashby J, Sumpter JP . Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are estrogenic. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1998; 153: 12–19.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Shirai S, Suzuki Y, Yoshinaga J, Shiraishi H, Mizumoto Y . Urinary excretion of parabens in pregnant Japanese women. Reprod Toxicol (Elmsford, NY) 2012; 35: 96–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Koo HJ, Lee BM . Estimated exposure to phthalates in cosmetics and risk assessment. J Toxicol Environ Health 2004; 67: 1901–1914.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Howdeshell KL, Wilson VS, Furr J, Lambright CR, Rider CV, Blystone CR et al. A mixture of five phthalate esters inhibits fetal testicular testosterone production in the sprague-dawley rat in a cumulative, dose-additive manner. Toxicol Sci 2008; 105: 153–165.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Harris CA, Henttu P, Parker MG, Sumpter JP . The estrogenic activity of phthalate esters in vitro. Environ Health Perspect 1997; 105: 802–811.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Engel SM, Miodovnik A, Canfield RL, Zhu C, Silva MJ, Calafat AM et al. Prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with childhood behavior and executive functioning. Environ Health Perspect 2010; 118: 565–571.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Miodovnik A, Engel SM, Zhu C, Ye X, Soorya LV, Silva MJ et al. Endocrine disruptors and childhood social impairment. Neurotoxicology 2011; 32: 261–267.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Swan SH, Main KM, Liu F, Stewart SL, Kruse RL, Calafat AM et al. Decrease in anogenital distance among male infants with prenatal phthalate exposure. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113: 1056–1061.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Whyatt RM, Liu X, Rauh VA, Calafat AM, Just AC, Hoepner L et al. Maternal prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and child mental, psychomotor, and behavioral development at 3 years of age. Environ Health Perspect 2012; 120: 290–295.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Buckley JP, Palmieri RT, Matuszewski JM, Herring AH, Baird DD, Hartmann KE et al. Consumer product exposures associated with urinary phthalate levels in pregnant women. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2012; 22: 468–475.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Duty SM, Ackerman RM, Calafat AM, Hauser R . Personal care product use predicts urinary concentrations of some phthalate monoesters. Environ Health Perspect 2005; 113: 1530–1535.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Janjua NR, Frederiksen H, Skakkebaek NE, Wulf HC, Andersson AM . Urinary excretion of phthalates and paraben after repeated whole-body topical application in humans. Int J Androl 2008; 31: 118–130.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Just AC, Adibi JJ, Rundle AG, Calafat AM, Camann DE, Hauser R et al. Urinary and air phthalate concentrations and self-reported use of personal care products among minority pregnant women in New York city. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2010; 20: 625–633.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Romero-Franco M, Hernandez-Ramirez RU, Calafat AM, Cebrian ME, Needham LL, Teitelbaum S et al. Personal care product use and urinary levels of phthalate metabolites in Mexican women. Environ Int 2011; 37: 867–871.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Silva E, Rajapakse N, Kortenkamp A . Something from "nothing"—eight weak estrogenic chemicals combined at concentrations below NOECs produce significant mixture effects. Environ Sci Technol 2002; 36: 1751–1756.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Braun JM, Smith KW, Williams PL, Calafat AM, Berry K, Ehrlich S et al. Variability of urinary phthalate metabolite and bisphenol A concentrations before and during pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 2012; 120: 739–745.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Smith KW, Braun JM, Williams PL, Ehrlich S, Correia KF, Calafat AM et al. Predictors and variability of urinary paraben concentrations in men and women, including before and during Pregnancy. Environ Health Perspect 2012; 120: 1538–1543.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Silva MJ, Samandar E, Preau JL, Jr., Reidy JA, Needham LL, Calafat AM . Quantification of 22 phthalate metabolites in human urine. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2007; 860: 106–112.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Ye X, Bishop AM, Reidy JA, Needham LL, Calafat AM . Parabens as urinary biomarkers of exposure in humans. Environ Health Perspect 2006; 114: 1843–1846.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Ye X, Bishop AM, Needham LL, Calafat AM . Automated on-line column-switching HPLC-MS/MS method with peak focusing for measuring parabens, triclosan, and other environmental phenols in human milk. Anal Chim Acta 2008; 622: 150–156.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Hornung RW, Reed LD . Estimation of Average Concentration in the Presence of Nondetectable Values. Appl Occup Environ Hygiene 1990; 5: 46–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. CDC 2012 C.f.D.C.a.P. NHANES-Whats New http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/new_nhanes.htm#Jan12, 2012. Accessed January 2012.

  33. Safe SH . Hazard and risk assessment of chemical mixtures using the toxic equivalency factor approach. Environ Health Perspect 1998; 106 (Suppl 4): 1051–1058.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Wild CP . Complementing the genome with an "exposome": the outstanding challenge of environmental exposure measurement in molecular epidemiology. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005; 14: 1847–1850.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Adibi JJ, Whyatt RM, Williams PL, Calafat AM, Camann D, Herrick R et al. Characterization of phthalate exposure among pregnant women assessed by repeat air and urine samples. Environ Health Perspect 2008; 116: 467–473.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Casas L, Fernandez MF, Llop S, Guxens M, Ballester F, Olea N et al. Urinary concentrations of phthalates and phenols in a population of Spanish pregnant women and children. Environ Int 2011; 37: 858–866.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Philippat C, Mortamais M, Chevrier C, Petit C, Calafat AM, Ye X et al. Exposure to phthalates and phenols during pregnancy and offspring size at birth. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 120: 464–470.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Shen HY, Jiang HL, Mao HL, Pan G, Zhou L, Cao YF . Simultaneous determination of seven phthalates and four parabens in cosmetic products using HPLC-DAD and GC–MS methods. J Sep Sci 2007; 30: 48–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Ye X, Pierik FH, Hauser R, Duty S, Angerer J, Park MM et al. Urinary metabolite concentrations of organophosphorous pesticides, bisphenol A, and phthalates among pregnant women in Rotterdam, the Netherlands: the Generation R study. Environ Res 2008; 108: 260–267.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Hubinger JC . A survey of phthalate esters in consumer cosmetic products. J Cosmet Sci 2010; 61: 457–465.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Parlett LE, Calafat AM, Swan SH . Women's exposure to phthalates in relation to use of personal care products. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2012; 23: 197–206.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Meeker JD, Cantonwine D, Rivera-Gonzalez LO, Ferguson KK, Mukherjee B, Calafat AM et al. Distribution, variability and predictors of urinary concentrations of phenols and parabens among pregnant women in Puerto Rico. Environ Sci Technol 2013; 47: 3439–3447.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Howdeshell KL, Furr J, Lambright CR, Wilson VS, Ryan BC, Gray LE, Jr. . Gestational and lactational exposure to ethinyl estradiol, but not bisphenol A, decreases androgen-dependent reproductive organ weights and epididymal sperm abundance in the male long evans hooded rat. Toxicol Sci 2008; 102: 371–382.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Sagiv SK, Thurston SW, Bellinger DC, Tolbert PE, Altshul LM, Korrick SA . Prenatal organochlorine exposure and behaviors associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in school-aged children. Am J Epidemiol 2010; 171: 593–601.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Loretz L, Api AM, Barraj L, Burdick J, Davis de A, Dressler W et al. Exposure data for personal care products: hairspray, spray perfume, liquid foundation, shampoo, body wash, and solid antiperspirant. Food Chem Toxicol 2006; 44: 2008–2018.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Loretz LJ, Api AM, Barraj LM, Burdick J, Dressler WE, Gettings SD et al. Exposure data for cosmetic products: lipstick, body lotion, and face cream. Food Chem Toxicol 2005; 43: 279–291.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Bennett DH, Wu XM, Teague CH, Lee K, Cassady DL, Ritz B et al. Passive sampling methods to determine household and personal care product use. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2012; 22: 148–160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the technical assistance of M. Silva, E. Samandar, J. Preau, X. Ye, X. Zhou, R. Hennings, and J. Tao (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) in measuring the urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and parabens. This work was funded by NIEHS grants T32 ES007069, R01 ES009718, P30 ES000002, and R00 ES020346.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Program in Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Joe M Braun

  2. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Allan C Just, Kristen W Smith & Russ Hauser

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Paige L Williams

  4. National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Antonia M Calafat

Authors
  1. Joe M Braun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Allan C Just
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paige L Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kristen W Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonia M Calafat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Russ Hauser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joe M Braun.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

DISCLAIMER

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology website

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Braun, J., Just, A., Williams, P. et al. Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 24, 459–466 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.69

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.69

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links