Association of urinary bisphenols during pregnancy with maternal, cord blood and childhood thyroid function

Arash Derakhshan; Elise M. Philips; Akhgar Ghassabian; Susana Santos; Alexandros G. Asimakopoulos; Kurunthachalam Kannan; Andreas Kortenkamp; Vincent W.V. Jaddoe; Leonardo Trasande; Robin P. Peeters; Tim I.M. Korevaar

Environment International (Jan 2021)

Association of urinary bisphenols during pregnancy with maternal, cord blood and childhood thyroid function

Arash Derakhshan,
Elise M. Philips,
Akhgar Ghassabian,
Susana Santos,
Alexandros G. Asimakopoulos,
Kurunthachalam Kannan,
Andreas Kortenkamp,
Vincent W.V. Jaddoe,
Leonardo Trasande,
Robin P. Peeters,
Tim I.M. Korevaar

Affiliations

Arash Derakhshan: Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Elise M. Philips: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Akhgar Ghassabian: Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Population of Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
Susana Santos: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Alexandros G. Asimakopoulos: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12201, United States; Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
Kurunthachalam Kannan: Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Andreas Kortenkamp: Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University, London, Uxbridge, UK
Vincent W.V. Jaddoe: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Leonardo Trasande: Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Population of Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA; New York University College of Global Public Health, New York City, NY, USA; New York Wagner School of Public Service, New York City, NY, USA
Robin P. Peeters: Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Tim I.M. Korevaar: Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Room Na-2918, Doctor Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 146
p. 106160

Abstract

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Background: Most pregnant women are exposed to bisphenols, a group of chemicals that can interfere with various components of the thyroid system. Objectives: To investigate the association of maternal urinary bisphenol concentrations during pregnancy with maternal, newborn and early childhood thyroid function. Methods: This study was embedded in Generation R, a prospective, population-based birth cohort (Rotterdam, the Netherlands). Maternal urine samples were analyzed for eight bisphenols at early (25 weeks) pregnancy. Maternal serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and total thyroxine (TT4) were measured in early pregnancy and child TSH and FT4 were measured in cord blood and childhood. Results: The final study population comprised 1,267 mothers, 853 newborns and 882 children. Of the eight bisphenols measured, only bisphenol A (BPA) was detected in >50% of samples at all three time-points and bisphenol S (BPS) at the first time-point. There was no association of BPA or the bisphenol molar sum with maternal thyroid function. Higher BPS concentrations were associated with a higher maternal TT4 (β [95% CI] per 1 (natural-log) unit increase: 0.97 [0.03 to 1.91]) but there was no association with TSH or FT4. Furthermore, higher BPS was associated with an attenuation of the association between maternal FT4 and TSH (Pinteraction = 0.001). There was no association of early or mid-pregnancy BPA or early pregnancy BPS with cord blood or childhood TSH and FT4. A higher late pregnancy maternal BPA exposure was associated with a higher TSH in female newborns (Pinteraction = 0.06) and a higher FT4 during childhood in males (Pinteraction = 0.08). Discussion: Our findings show that exposure to bisphenols may interfere with the thyroid system during pregnancy. Furthermore, the potential developmental toxicity of exposure to bisphenols during pregnancy could affect the thyroid system in the offspring in a sex-specific manner.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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