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Plastic toys as a source of exposure to bisphenol-A and phthalates at childcare facilities

DOI:10.1007/s10661-017-6438-9
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Gangadhar Andaluri at Temple University
Gangadhar Andaluri
Muruganandham Manickavachagam
Muruganandham Manickavachagam
Muruganandham Manickavachagam
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Rominder Suri at Temple University
Rominder Suri
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Abstract and Figures

Infants and toddlers are constantly exposed to toys at childcare facilities. Toys are made of a variety of plastics that often use endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates as their building blocks. The goal of this study was to assess the non-dietary exposure of infants and toddlers to BPA and phthalates via leaching. We have successfully developed wipe tests to evaluate the leachability of BPA and phthalates from toys used at several day care facilities in Philadelphia. Our studies have shown an average leaching of 13–280 ng/cm² of BPA and phthalates. An estimate of total exposure of infants to BPA and phthalates is reported. The leaching of the chemicals was observed to be dependent on the washing procedures and the location of the day care facilities. Using bleach/water mixture two or more times a week to clean the toys seems to reduce the leaching of chemicals from the toys. There is a huge data gap in the estimated intake amounts and reported urinary concentrations; this is the first study that provides valuable information to address these data gaps in the existing literature.
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Plastic toys as a source of exposure to bisphenol-A
and phthalates at childcare facilities
Gangadhar Andaluri &
Muruganandham Manickavachagam &
Rominder Suri
Received: 15 March 2017 /Accepted: 22 December 2017 /Published online: 6 January 2018
#Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Infants and toddlers are constantly exposed to
toys at childcare facilities. Toys are made of a variety of
plastics that often use endocrine-disrupting chemicals
such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates as their build-
ing blocks. The goal of this study was to assess the non-
dietary exposure of infants and toddlers to BPA and
phthalates via leaching. We have successfully developed
wipe tests to evaluate the leachability of BPA and
phthalates from toys used at several day care facilities
in Philadelphia. Our studies have shown an average
leaching of 13–280 ng/cm
2
of BPA and phthalates. An
estimate of total exposure of infants to BPA and
phthalates is reported. The leaching of the chemicals
was observed to be dependent on the washing proce-
dures and the location of the day care facilities. Using
bleach/water mixture two or more times a week to clean
the toys seems to reduce the leaching of chemicals from
the toys. There is a huge data gap in the estimated intake
amounts and reported urinary concentrations; this is the
first study that provides valuable information to address
these data gaps in the existing literature.
Keywords Childcare facilities .Plastic toys .Bisphenol
A.Phthalates .Exposure
Introduction
Toys and childcare articles made from plastics are com-
monly used in childcare facilities. Plastics contain
chemicals that might be hazardous to human health
and the environment (BPA, phthalates, lead, etc.). Chil-
dren are particularly vulnerable to toxic chemicals since
their organs are still developing. Young children are at a
greater risk since they often insert plastic objects such as
baby bottles, sippy cups, teething rings, and toys into
their mouths. BPA is a high-production-volume chemi-
cal that is frequently used in the production of polycar-
bonate hard plastics and epoxy resins that are used in
many industries (US-EPA 2009). Exposure to BPA is
widespread in the USA; it is estimated that more than
1 million lb of BPA is released into the environment
every year (US-EPA 2009). A survey conducted by US
Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) in
2009–2010 has found that nearly 90% of the individuals
aged 6 and above had detectable concentrations of BPA
in their urine. This widespread exposure is of concern
because BPA exhibits hormone-like properties and
some laboratory animal studies report developmental
effects in fetuses and newborns exposed to low doses
of BPA. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has also reported concerns about the potential effects of
BPA on the brain, behavior, and the prostate glands of
fetuses, infants, and children (NIEHS 2010,US-FDA
2014). Recent evaluations by the FDA have determined
that exposure to dietary BPA for infants and adults is
less than previously estimated. Initially, dietary expo-
sure was estimated at 185 and 2420 ng/kg bw/day for
Environ Monit Assess (2018) 190: 65
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6438-9
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this
article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6438-9) contains
supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
G. Andaluri :M. Manickavachagam :R. Suri (*)
NSF, Water and Environmental Technology Center, Temple
University, 1947 N 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
e-mail: rominder.suri@temple.edu
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.

Supplementary resource (1)

10661 2017 6438 MOESM1 ESM
Data
January 2018
Gangadhar Andaluri · Muruganandham Manickavachagam · Rominder Suri
... The main sources of BPA and phthalates in blood are dietary sources such as food and drinks packaged in cans and polycarbonate bottles, as well as paper and plastic films [9]. These chemicals could leach from polycarbonate plastics and plastic films used for food packaging and storage containers [2]. ...
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... Bisphenols along with their derivatives have several fascinating applications in food and paper industry, plastic fabrication, used in making of toys and water bottles, as well as manufacturing of personal care products [27] [28,29]. 4-(4-isopropoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-phenol (BPSIP) is one of the derivatives of the bisphenol. ...
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... Most of these studies have focussed on quantifying and comparing leaching behaviours from consumer plastics under different user conditions (Kubwabo et al., 2009;Ehlert et al., 2008) and/or understanding human health concerns associated with exposure to plastic leachates (Erythropel et al., 2014;Vandenberg et al., 2007). These studies have shown that prolonged and persistent dermal contact with plasticised plastics (e.g., toys (Schettler et al., 2006)) and/or the consumption of contaminated materials (e.g., leaching into foodstuff (Soto-Cantú et al., 2008)) are the primary mechanisms underlying plasticiser exposure and toxicity in humans (Schettler et al., 2006;Net et al., 2015;Sampson and De Korte, 2011;Andaluri et al., 2018). However, plastic leachates are also toxic to aquatic organisms (Kühn et al., 2020;Thaysen et al., 2018;Sarker et al., 2020;Bejgarn et al., 2015;Schrank et al., 2019;Heindler et al., 2017;Iwamuro et al., 2003;Rozman et al., 2021) and their transport into environmentally relevant matrices has not yet been fully elucidated (Teuten et al., 2009). ...
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... Phthalates are widely used plasticizers in paints, textiles, cosmetics, food packaging, toys, and other industrial and consumer products (Andaluri et al., 2018;Xu et al., 2020). Phthalates can fill the spaces in the lattices formed by polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, giving the plastic flexibility. ...
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Phthalate and PAH concentrations in dust collected from Danish homes and daycare centers
Article
As part of the Danish Indoor Environment and Children’s Health (IECH) study, dust samples were collected from 500 bedrooms and 151 daycare centers of children (ages 3 to 5) living on the island of Fyn. The present paper reports results from the analyses of these samples for five phthalate esters (diethyl phthalate (DEP), di(n-butyl) phthalate (DnBP), di(isobutyl) phthalate (DiBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) and three PAHs (pyrene, benz[a]anthracene (B[a]A) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)). The three PAHs and DEHP were detected in dust samples from all sites, while DEP, DnBP, DiBP and BBzP were detected in more than 75% of the bedrooms and more than 90% of the daycare centers. The dust mass-fractions of both phthalates and PAHs were log-normally distributed. With the exception of DEP, the mass-fractions of phthalates in dust were higher in daycare centers than homes; PAH mass-fractions in dust were similar in the two locations. There was no correlation among the different phthalates in either homes or daycare centers. In contrast, the PAH were correlated with one another – more strongly so in homes (R2=0.80–0.90) than in daycare centers (R2=0.28–0.45). The dust levels of several phthalates (BBzP, DnBP and DEHP) were substantially lower than those measured in a comparable study conducted 6–7 years earlier in Sweden. Although usage patterns in Denmark differ from those in Sweden, the current results may also reflect a change in the plasticizers that are used in common products including toys. PAH levels were roughly an order of magnitude lower than those measured in Berlin and Cape Cod residences, suggesting that the Danish sites are less impacted by motor vehicle emissions.
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Urinary Free Bisphenol A and Bisphenol A-Glucuronide Concentrations in Newborns
Article
  • Jan 2013
Infants are exposed to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) through breast milk and baby formula. Detoxication by conjugation of BPA may be limited in infants. We demonstrate BPA exposure in 11 neonates and 1 young infant, but find no evidence of a low capacity for BPA conjugation.
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Bisphenol A concentrations in maternal breast milk and infant urine
Article
Purpose: The present report describes the distribution of breast milk and urinary free and total bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations, from 27 postpartum women and their 31 infants, and explores the influence of age, sex, and nutritional source on infant BPA urinary concentration. Methods: Both free (unconjugated) and total (free plus conjugated) BPA concentrations from women's breast milk samples and infants' urine samples were measured by online solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests of group comparisons were conducted. Results: Total BPA was detected in 93 % of urine samples in this healthy infant population aged 3-15 months who were without known environmental exposure to BPA [interquartile range (IQR) = 1.2-4.4 μg/L)]. Similarly, 75 % of the mothers' breast milk samples had detectable concentrations of total BPA (IQR = 0.4-1.4 μg/L). The magnitude and frequency of detection of free BPA in the children's urine and the mothers' breast milk were much lower than the total concentrations. Conclusions: Total BPA was detected in 93 % of this healthy infant population aged 3-15 months who are without known environmental exposure to BPA. Neither free nor total BPA urinary concentrations differed significantly by infant's sex or by nutritional source (breast milk and/or formula) while age group was of borderline significance. There were no significant correlations between free or total BPA concentrations in mothers' breast milk and their infants' urine.
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Assessing the Quantitative Relationships between Preschool Children's Exposures to Bisphenol A by Route and Urinary Biomonitoring
Article
Limited published information exists on young children's exposures to bisphenol A (BPA) in the United States using urinary biomonitoring. In a previous project, we quantified the aggregate exposures of 257 preschool children to BPA in environmental and personal media over 48-h periods in 2000-2001 at homes and daycares in North Carolina and Ohio. In the present study for 81 Ohio preschool children ages 23-64 months, we quantified the children's urinary total BPA (free and conjugated) concentrations over these same 48-h periods in 2001. Then, we examined the quantitative relationships between the children's intakes doses of BPA through the dietary ingestion, nondietary ingestion, and inhalation routes and their excreted amounts of urinary BPA. BPA was detected in 100% of the urine samples. The estimated median intake doses of BPA for these 81 children were 109 ng/kg/day (dietary ingestion), 0.06 ng/kg/day (nondietary ingestion), and 0.27 ng/kg/day (inhalation); their estimated median excreted amount of urinary BPA was 114 ng/kg/day. Our multivariable regression model showed that dietary intake of BPA (p = 0.04) and creatinine concentration (p = 0.004) were significant predictors of urinary BPA excretion, collectively explaining 17% of the variability in excretion. Dietary ingestion of BPA accounted for >95% of the children's excreted amounts of urinary BPA.
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Phthalates in house dust
Article
  • Jun 2009
The main objective of this study was to generate a fast analytical method to determine the five phthalates benzylbutylphthalate (BBP), dibutylphthalate (DBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), di-isodecylphthalate (DIDP), and di-isononylphthalate (DINP) in house dust. To achieve this liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was used for measurement. The risk of lab- and cross-contamination was nearly eliminated completely as a very short and fast sample preparation including a sieving step and an ultrasonic extraction for the analytes from the dust samples was used. Quantification through internal standard calibration resulted in low limits of determination (DEHP 4 mg kg(-1) to DBP 14 mg kg(-1)). A potential interaction between the analytes DIDP and DINP during chromatographic measurement could be excluded while performing a two level factorial design. Furthermore it was examined to what extend carpet and plastic materials respectively have influence on the total amount of phthalates in dust. It could be shown that apartments in which a minimum of both of these sources appeared revealed the lowest total amount of sum of phthalates in dust (median 362 mg kg(-1)).
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