Describing Exposures to Environmental Contaminants in Mothers of Newborns in France, 2011: First Results Obtained in the Framework of the French Biomonitoring Program

摘要

As part of the French biomonitoring program, exposure biomarkers were measured in biological samples collected in 2011 from mothers of newboms randomly selected among the participants in the clinical and biological component of the cohort Elfe. The aim was to describe impregnation levels by various chemicals in mothers giving birth in continental France in 2011. For each biomarker, the geometric mean, median, 75th and 95th percentiles of the biomarkers levels distribution were estimated, taking into account the sampling design and adjusting via calibration, in order to obtain estimates representative of this population. Studied biomarkers were lead (measured in cord blood for approx. 1,900 births), phthalates (measured in urine for approx. 990 mothers), BPA (measured in urine for 1,760 mothers), pyrethroids metabolites (measured in urine for 1,080 mothers) and other pesticides or their metabolites (dialkylphosphates, chlorophenols, glyphosate and propoxur, measured in urine for 1,030 mothers), metals (measured in urine for 990 mothers), and mercury (measured in hair for 1,900 mothers). Taking into account available data on levels of impregnation in the French population, expected precisions of geometric means estimates range from 3.4% (for lead) to approx. 14% (for free BPA and some phthalates). Results will be available from July 2014. These first results on impregnation by various chemicals in a representative sample of French mothers will provide public health relevant information about prenatal exposures that could later impair child health. Comparisons of these results with the ones previously obtained in France will provide useful insights on the effects of regulations taken to limit exposures to some chemicals. This could be particularly relevant for some pesticides, since previous studies showed that the French population displayed some peculiarities when compared to other countries.