Abstract
Toddlers are at increased risk of dust ingestion and subsequently flame retardant (FR) exposure because they often play close to the floor and mouth hands and objects. Exposure to some FRs have been associated to endocrine disruption and neurodevelopmental disorders. Previous research has shown higher FR concentrations in toddlers’ serum and urine, but which toddler-behaviors influence exposure levels remains to be determined. We investigated how toddler-behaviors are associated to FRs in hand wipes (HWs) and saliva. Fifty 8-18 month-old children from the Linking EDCs in maternal Nutrition to Child health study, were visited at home. The child's behavior was observed and assessed using a questionnaire. Hand-to-object behavior frequency was associated with HW tris(chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), tris(phenyl) phosphate, tris(methylphenyl) phosphate, and resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) levels above the detection limit. Children playing with electronics multiple times per week had higher TDCIPP HW levels compared to children playing with electronics once per month or never (p = 0.032 and p = 0.046). Frequent mouth-to-object and frequent mouthing a pacifier were associated with lower TDCIPP (p = 0.019) and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) HW levels, respectively (p = 0.002–0.019). Exposure estimates based on hand-to-mouth behavior did not exceed the available reference doses. This is the first study investigating toddler-behavior in relation to FR hand loadings. Although a range of behaviors was investigated, only a few showed a relation with FR HW levels, suggesting that toddler-behavior might not alone be responsible for the elevated FR levels in children. It is therefore important to explore other pathways including dermal absorption and inhalation.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 126588 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Chemosphere |
Volume | 252 |
Early online date | 23 Mar 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2020 |
Funding
The present study is part of the EU funded INFLAME project (Indoor Contamination with Flame Retardant Chemicals: Causes and Impacts) and the authors acknowledge the European Commission for funding the INFLAME project FP7 No 264600 . We acknowledge Jacco Koekkoek, Martin van Velzen, Quinn Groenewoud, Bo de Jager, Denise Jenner, Esther Stelwagen, Babette Kuypers, Guyonne van Heijningen, Xilema Leunis, Marieke van Leijden, Maite Schroor, Sascha van der Vliet, Helci Deel, Rianne Wever and Max Bocxe for their efforts during sample analysis. Finally we are thankful to the participants of the LINC study. This work was supported by the European Commission (Indoor Contamination with Flame Retardant Chemicals: Causes and Impacts (INFLAME) project FP7 No 264600).The present study is part of the EU funded INFLAME project (Indoor Contamination with Flame Retardant Chemicals: Causes and Impacts) and the authors acknowledge the European Commission for funding the INFLAME project FP7 No 264600. We acknowledge Jacco Koekkoek, Martin van Velzen, Quinn Groenewoud, Bo de Jager, Denise Jenner, Esther Stelwagen, Babette Kuypers, Guyonne van Heijningen, Xilema Leunis, Marieke van Leijden, Maite Schroor, Sascha van der Vliet, Helci Deel, Rianne Wever and Max Bocxe for their efforts during sample analysis. Finally we are thankful to the participants of the LINC study. This work was supported by the European Commission (Indoor Contamination with Flame Retardant Chemicals: Causes and Impacts (INFLAME) project FP7 No 264600 ).
Funders | Funder number |
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Jacco Koekkoek | |
Seventh Framework Programme | 264600 |
European Commission |
Keywords
- Exposure estimate
- Flame retardant
- Hand wipes
- Mouthing behavior
- Toddler