Intake of Phthalate-tainted Foods and Serum Thyroid Hormones in Taiwanese Children and Adolescents

Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 29:6:30589. doi: 10.1038/srep30589.

Abstract

On April-May, 2011, phthalates, mainly Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were deliberately added to a variety of foodstuff as a substitute emulsifier in Taiwan. This study investigated the relationship between DEHP-tainted foodstuffs exposure and thyroid function in possibly affected children and adolescents. Two hundred fifty participants <18 years possibly exposed to DEHP were enrolled in this study between August 2012 and January 2013. Questionnaires were used to collect details on their past exposure to DEHP-tainted food items. Blood and urine samples were collected for biochemical workups to measure current exposure derived from three urinary DEHP metabolites using a creatinine excretion-based model. More than half of 250 participants were estimated to be exposed to DEHP-tainted foods found to exceed the recommend tolerable daily intake of DEHP established by the European Food Safety Authority (<50 μg/kg/day). The median daily DEHP intake (DDI) among those 250 participants was 46.52 μg/kg/day after multiple imputation. This value was ~10-fold higher than the current median DEHP intake (4.46 μg/kg/day, n = 240). Neither past nor current DEHP exposure intensity was significantly associated with serum thyroid profiles. Future studies may want to follow the long-term health effects of this food scandal in affected children and adolescents.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diethylhexyl Phthalate / toxicity*
  • Female
  • Food Contamination*
  • Food Safety*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Taiwan
  • Thyroid Hormones / blood*

Substances

  • Thyroid Hormones
  • Diethylhexyl Phthalate