Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China
Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), widely adopted as substitutes for restricted brominated flame retardants (BFRs), have emerged as significant environmental contaminants in regions burdened by electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325012722 |
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| author | Chuyan Zhang Zheng Ruan Yifan Dou Xian Liang Sun Huadong Xu Zhaoqiang Jiang Xia Rao Xinran Wang Shoji F. Nakayama Teruhiko Kido Jianlin Lou |
| author_facet | Chuyan Zhang Zheng Ruan Yifan Dou Xian Liang Sun Huadong Xu Zhaoqiang Jiang Xia Rao Xinran Wang Shoji F. Nakayama Teruhiko Kido Jianlin Lou |
| author_sort | Chuyan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), widely adopted as substitutes for restricted brominated flame retardants (BFRs), have emerged as significant environmental contaminants in regions burdened by electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to OPFRs and infant birth outcomes in an e-waste area. We used programmed-temperature vaporizer gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PTV-GC/MS) to measure the concentrations of thirteen OPFRs in umbilical cord blood samples from 131 mother-infant pairs in Taizhou. The associations between seven of these OPFRs and infant birth outcomes, including birth weight and birth length, were analyzed. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to examine the relationship between each OPFR and the birth outcomes. Additionally, the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was employed to evaluate the impact of mixed exposure to multiple OPFRs on birth outcomes. Both MLR and BKMR analyses revealed significant associations between prenatal exposure to specific OPFRs and infant birth outcomes. Trimethyl phosphate (TMP) was significantly associated with increased birth weight and decreased birth length in newborns overall, with these effects being more pronounced in male infants following gender-stratified analysis. Tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) demonstrated significant positive correlations with birth length in male infants and birth weight in female infants. Conversely, tripropyl phosphate (TPP) showed a negative correlation with birth length in male infants but a positive correlation in female infants. Furthermore, the BKMR model identified a nonlinear relationship between triethyl phosphate (TEP) and birth outcomes in male infants, suggesting potential interactions among TEP, TMP, TCEP, tributyl phosphate (TBP), and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP). Our findings indicate that prenatal OPFR exposure can cross the placenta and may influence infant growth and development, with distinct gender-specific patterns in an e-waste area in China. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-04a7390c51fc496aaf43dc54f9948b5d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-04a7390c51fc496aaf43dc54f9948b5d2025-08-26T04:14:07ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-09-0130311892710.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118927Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in ChinaChuyan Zhang0Zheng Ruan1Yifan Dou2Xian Liang Sun3Huadong Xu4Zhaoqiang Jiang5Xia Rao6Xinran Wang7Shoji F. Nakayama8Teruhiko Kido9Jianlin Lou10School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Medicine, and The First Affiliated Hospital, Huzhou University, Huzhou, China; Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Corresponding author at: School of Medicine, and The First Affiliated Hospital, Huzhou University, Huzhou, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaJapan Environment and Children’s Study Programme Office, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, JapanFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanSchool of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; School of Medicine, and The First Affiliated Hospital, Huzhou University, Huzhou, China; Corresponding author at: School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaOrganophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), widely adopted as substitutes for restricted brominated flame retardants (BFRs), have emerged as significant environmental contaminants in regions burdened by electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to OPFRs and infant birth outcomes in an e-waste area. We used programmed-temperature vaporizer gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PTV-GC/MS) to measure the concentrations of thirteen OPFRs in umbilical cord blood samples from 131 mother-infant pairs in Taizhou. The associations between seven of these OPFRs and infant birth outcomes, including birth weight and birth length, were analyzed. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to examine the relationship between each OPFR and the birth outcomes. Additionally, the Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was employed to evaluate the impact of mixed exposure to multiple OPFRs on birth outcomes. Both MLR and BKMR analyses revealed significant associations between prenatal exposure to specific OPFRs and infant birth outcomes. Trimethyl phosphate (TMP) was significantly associated with increased birth weight and decreased birth length in newborns overall, with these effects being more pronounced in male infants following gender-stratified analysis. Tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) demonstrated significant positive correlations with birth length in male infants and birth weight in female infants. Conversely, tripropyl phosphate (TPP) showed a negative correlation with birth length in male infants but a positive correlation in female infants. Furthermore, the BKMR model identified a nonlinear relationship between triethyl phosphate (TEP) and birth outcomes in male infants, suggesting potential interactions among TEP, TMP, TCEP, tributyl phosphate (TBP), and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP). Our findings indicate that prenatal OPFR exposure can cross the placenta and may influence infant growth and development, with distinct gender-specific patterns in an e-waste area in China.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325012722Organophosphorus flame retardantsE-wasteBirth outcomesGender specificityBayesian kernel machine regression |
| spellingShingle | Chuyan Zhang Zheng Ruan Yifan Dou Xian Liang Sun Huadong Xu Zhaoqiang Jiang Xia Rao Xinran Wang Shoji F. Nakayama Teruhiko Kido Jianlin Lou Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Organophosphorus flame retardants E-waste Birth outcomes Gender specificity Bayesian kernel machine regression |
| title | Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China |
| title_full | Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China |
| title_fullStr | Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China |
| title_short | Prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes: A cross-sectional study in an e-waste area in China |
| title_sort | prenatal exposure to organophosphorus flame retardants and birth outcomes a cross sectional study in an e waste area in china |
| topic | Organophosphorus flame retardants E-waste Birth outcomes Gender specificity Bayesian kernel machine regression |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325012722 |
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