PL EN
LETTER TO EDITORS
Environmental risk and influence of chemicals from plastic materials on children’s health – the challenge also for paediatricians
 
More details
Hide details
1
Instytut Medycyny Pracy i Zdrowia Środowiskowego w Sosnowcu Dyrektor: dr n. med. Piotr Z. Brewczyński
 
 
Corresponding author
Zbigniew Rudkowski   

53-209 Wrocław ul. Wojciecha Męcińskiego 20
 
 
Med Srod. 2013;16(1):7-15
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Chemicals artificially synthesized and leaching into a common environment are a toxicological risk particularly in prenatal period and in early childhood. The risk exists due to the contact with xenogenic substances from maternal breast milk and other food, polluted air and water, plastic materials, cosmetics. All endocrine and neurological disruptors (EDC) pass across placenta, then can cause hormonal, neurological or metabolic disorders mainly due to estrogenic action. Bisphenol A is one of endocrine disruptors leaching from polychlorobiphenyl plastic (PCB), present commonly in baby polycarbonate bottles. Phtalates like DEHP, DOP, DINP, DIDP, DIPB, DBP or BBP are used as plasticizers making plastics softer and more flexible. Flame retardants f, ex, PBDE (polybrominated diphenyleter) are added to polyurethane foams, and HBCD (hexabromocyclododecane) is a compound of polystyrene electric insulation. Perfluorinated compounds (PFC) are some hundreds substancies and mostly used is PFOS (Perfluoroacetate sulphonate) and PFOA (perfluoroacetic acid) repelling water, grease and dirt; they are used as impregnating and cleaning agents, and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylen) known as Teflon or Goretex. The toxicity of xenogens for experimental animals is confirmed., but a harmful effect on humans is still discussed what is based only on epidemiological but not experimental studies. Epidemiological studies link human EDC exposure with hormonal, neurological and behavioural distorders f.ex. early maturation of girls, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, and likely weakening of postvaccinal immunity. The awareness on environmental risks is essential for rationale behaviour diminishing the exposition and also being an important element of contemporary health promotion
 
REFERENCES (54)
1.
Jeremy Jacobs of Greenwire, U.S.Agencies. Hope Robot Can Speed Toxics Evaluations, End Animal Testing The New York Times Business Day, Energy & Environment World: May 13, 2011.
 
2.
Moore KL. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 1973.
 
3.
Plastics Historical Society http://www.plastiquaian.com/ index.php?id=4&pcon].
 
4.
Blackwell B. The Plain Dealer Cleveland.com Northeast – Ohio, December 29, 2012.
 
5.
A.L. Lusher M., McHugh, R.C. Thompson. Occurrence ofmicroplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel. Marine Pollution Bulletin Available online 26 December 2012.
 
6.
Holtcamp W. An Environmental Link to Obesity. Environ Health Perspect 2012120:a62-a68. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1289/ ehp.120-a62. Online: 01 February 2012.
 
7.
CDC. Bisphenol A and other environmental phenols in urine: NHANES 2003-2004. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ nhanes/nhanes_03_04/l24eph_c_met_phenols.
 
8.
National Toxicology Program, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center For The Evaluation of Risks To Human Reproduction, National Toxicology Program, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NTP Brief on Bisphenol A http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/che... BPADraftBriefVF_04_14_08.pdf. April 14, 2008. Accessibility verified August 19, 2008.
 
9.
Ropero AB, Alonso-Magdalena P., Garcia-Garcia E, i wsp. Bisphenol-A disruption of the endocrine pancreas and blood glucose homeostasis. Int J Androl. 2008;31(2):194–200.
 
10.
CDC. NHANES 2003–2004. Bisphenol A and other environmental phenols in urine: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/n....
 
11.
Völkel W., Kiranoglu M., Fromme H. Determination of free and total bisphenol A in urine of infants. Envir.Research; 2011; 111: (1) 143–148.
 
12.
Iain A. Lang, Tamara S. Galloway, Alan Scarlett et al. Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration With Medical Disorders and Laboratory Abnormalities in Adults. JAMA. 2008;300(11):1303–1310.
 
13.
Wang, T, M Li, B Chen, M Xu, , i wsp. Urinary Bisphenol A (BPA) concentration associates with obesity and insulin resistance. J. of Clin. Endocrin. Metabol.. , 2012, 97 (2) E223– E227.
 
14.
Alonso-Magdalena P, Quesada I, Nadal A. Endocrine disruptors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2011 (6):346–53.
 
15.
Casals-Casas C, Desvergne B. Endocrine disruptors: from endocrine to metabolic disruption.Ann Rev Physiol. 2011;73:135–62.
 
16.
Clayton EM, Todd. , M, Dowd JB, Aiello AE The impact of bisphenol A and triclosan on immune parameters in the U.S. population, NHANES 2003–2006. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(3):390–6.
 
17.
Philippe Grandjean, ; E. Wreford Andersen, ; E. Budtz-Jürgensen. Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds, JAMA. 2012;307(4):391–397.
 
18.
Jusko TA, Sonneborn D, Palkovicova L, et al.. Pre- and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and longitudinal measures of thymus volume in infants. Environ. Health Perspect. 2012; 120(4): 595–600.
 
19.
Góralczyk K., Struciński P., Hernik A. i wsp. Kurz źródłem narażenia człowieka na polibromowane difenyloetery (PBDE) Roczn Panstw Zakl Hig 2012, 63, Nr 1, 1–8.
 
20.
Larry L. Needham, Ph. Grandjean, et al. P. Partition of Environmental Chemicals between Maternal and Fetal Blood and Tissues. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (3), 1121– 1126.
 
21.
Walkowiak J., Wiener J-A, Fastabend A, et al. Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and quality of the home environment: effects on psychodevelopment in early childhood. Lancet 2001; 358:1602–07.
 
22.
Colon I, Caro D, Bourdony CJ, Rosario O. Identification of phthalate esters in the serum of young Puerto Rican girls with premature breast development. Environ. Health Perspect., 2000; 108(9):895-900. Comment in: Environ. Health Perspect., 2004 Jul;112(10):A541–.
 
23.
Ganning AE, Brunk U, Dallner G. Phthalate esters and their effect on the liver. Hepatology.1984;4(3):541–7.
 
24.
Bornehag CG, Sundell J, Weschler CJ, et al. The association between asthma and allergic symptoms in children and phthalates in house dust: a nested case control study. Environ.. Health Perspectiv., 2004;112(14):1393-97. Comment in: Environ. Health Perspect., 2005;113(3):A152–3.
 
25.
Herbstman JB, A Sjödin, M. Kurzon, et al., Prenatal exposure to PBDEs and neurodevelopment. Environ.Health Perspectiv. 2010; 118:712–719.
 
26.
Arias P.: Brominated flame retardants – an overview. The Second International Workshop on Brominated Flame Retardants, 2001 Stockholm.
 
27.
Eskenazi B, Chevrier J, SA Rauch, et al. In utero and childhood polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposures and neurodevelopment in the CHAMACOS study. Environ. Health Perspect. 2012. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1289/ehp. 1205597.
 
28.
Herbstman, JB, A Sjödin, M Kurzon, et al., Prenatal exposure to PBDEs and neurodevelopment. Environ. Health Perspect. 2010; 118:712–719.
 
29.
Chevrier J, Harley KG, Bradman A, et al. Polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE) flame retardants and thyroid hormone during pregnancy. Environ. Health Perspect. 2010; 118(10): 1444–1449.
 
30.
Whyatt RM, Liu X, Rauh VA, Calafat AM, et al. Maternal Prenatal Urinary Phthalate Metabolite Concentrations and Child Mental, Psychomotor, and Behavioral Development at 3 Years of Age. Environ Health Perspect 2011. 120:290– 295.
 
31.
Abou-Elwafa Abdallah M, and S Harrad. Tetrabromobisphenol- A, hexabromocyclododecane and its degradation products in UK human milk: Relationship to external dose.Environment International 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.envint.2010.11.008., Environ Health News Feb 24, 2011.
 
32.
Góralczyk K., Strusiński P., Czaja K., Hernik A., Ludwicki J., K.: Uniepalniacze – zastosowanie i zagrożenie dla człowieka. Roczn. PZH. 2002, 53, 293–305.
 
33.
Hines EP, et al. Phenotypic dichotomy following developmental exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in female CD-1 mice: Low doses induce elevated serum leptin and insulin, and overweight in mid-life. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2009: 304(1-2): 97–105.
 
34.
Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Dorte Rytter, , Line SmŲstuen Haug et al Prenatal Exposure to Perfluorooctanoate and Risk of Overweight at 20 Years of Age: A Prospective Cohort Study. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 120(5): 668–673.
 
35.
Grandjean Ph., E. W. Andersen, E. Budtz-JŅrgensen, Serum Vaccine Antibody Concentrations in Children Exposed to Perfluorinated Compounds, JAMA. 2012;307(4):391-397.
 
36.
Needham L. L., Ph. Grandjean, Birger Heinzow, et al. Partition of Environmental Chemicals between Maternal and Fetal Blood and Tissues Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (3), 1121–1126.
 
37.
Hernik A., Góralczyk K., Struciński P., i wsp.: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in human milk as markers of environmental exposure to these compounds. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med. 2011, 18, 113–118.
 
38.
Jarczewska K., Lulek J., Covaci A., et al.: Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human umbilical cord serum, maternal serum and milk from Wielkopolska region, Poland. Sci. Total Environ. 2006, 372, 20–31.
 
39.
Szyrwińska K., Lulek J.: Exposure to specific polychlorinated biphenyls and some chlorinated pesticides via breast milk in Poland. Chemosphere 2007, (66), 1895–1903.
 
40.
Hernik A., Góralczyk K., Czaja K., i wsp. Organohalogen compounds in human cord blood from Poland – pilot study. Toxicol. Letters, 2010, 196S, S37.
 
41.
Hernik A., Góralczyk K., Czaja K., i wsp. Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides in human milk in Poland. Organohalogen Compd. 2009, 71, 254–256.
 
42.
Góralczyk K., A. Hernik, K. Czaja, P i wsp Związki halogenoorganiczne – stare i nowe zagrożenia dla ludzi Rocz. Państw. Zakł Hig, 2010, T. 61, Nr 2, 109–118.
 
43.
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Stockholm, http.://www.pops.int.
 
47.
Paulson J. A., Policy Statement, Chemical-Management Policy: Prioritizing Children’s Health. Pediatrics 2011; 127:983–990.
 
48.
http://www.env-health.org/news... french-parliament-follows-the-road.
 
49.
Newsletter from the Danish Consumer Council, Four phthalates banned in Denmark, August 2012, http://taenk. dk/sites/ taenk.dk/files/edc_newsletter_12_1.pdf.
 
50.
Cophes –Democophes www.eu-hbm.info.
 
51.
Casals-Casas C, Desvergne B. Endocrine disruptors: from endocrine to metabolic disruption. Annu Rev Physiol. 2011; 73:135–62.
 
52.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety 2012/2066(INI).
 
53.
Komisja Ochrony Środowiska Naturalnego, Zdrowia Publicznego i Bezpieczeństwa Żywności. Projekt sprawozdania w sprawie ochrony zdrowia publicznego przed działaniem substancji zaburzających gospodarkę hormonalną (2012/2066 (INI) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/....
 
54.
World Health Organization Possible developmental early effects of endocrine disrupters on child health. 2012 WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.
 
eISSN:2084-6312
ISSN:1505-7054
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top