Environmental research, 2019. 172, 446-453, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.02.037

The relationship of urinary 3-phonoxybenzoic acid concentrations in utero and during childhood with adiposity in 4-years-old children

Lee KS, Lee YA;Lee YJ;Shin CH;Lim YH;Hong YC

Highlights

• Urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) was found in most mothers and children.
• Prenatal 3-PBA exposure did not affect height, weight, or body mass index (BMI).
• Childhood 3-PBA exposure positively associated with BMI z-scores in girls.

Abstract

Background
Pyrethroid pesticides are reported to be the most commonly used residential insecticides worldwide. We aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal and postnatal 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) concentrations, and growth and adiposity parameters in 4-year-old children.
Method
We obtained data from 578 children who participated in the prospective Environment and Development of Children (EDC) study at around 4 years of age (45–55 months) between August 2008 and July 2011. Anthropometric measurements were obtained at age 4 years. Prenatal and postnatal urinary 3-PBA concentration was measured in maternal urine samples at around 20 weeks of gestation, and in the 4-year-old children, respectively.
Result
The detection frequency of urinary 3-PBA (geometric mean concentration) was 98–99% (0.98 μg/g Cr) in maternal urine, and almost 99–100% (1.34 μg/g Cr) in 4-year-old children. Prenatal urinary3-PBA concentration was not associated with height, weight, or body mass index (BMI) z-scores at 4 years of age, regardless of sex. Postnatal urinary3-PBA concentration was not related to height z-scores, but was positively associated with weight z-scores with marginal significance among only girls (p = 0.058). Analyzed by sex, there was a significant relationship between postnatal urinary 3-PBA concentration and BMI z-scores (p = 0.015) among girls, after adjusting for covariates.
Conclusion
Childhood urinary 3-PBA concentration measured at 4 years of age was positively associated with BMI z-scores in 4-year-old girls, but prenatal urinary 3-PBA concentration at midterm pregnancy exhibited no association.

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.02.037
• ISBN or ISSN: 0013-9351

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.