Urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites in U.S. reported.

2004 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists report the urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites in the U.S. population obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000.

According to recent research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, "We measured the urinary monoester metabolites of seven commonly used phthalates in approximately 2,540 samples collected from participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2000, who were greater than or equal to 6 years of age. We found detectable levels of metabolites monoethyl phthalate (MEP), monobutyl phthalate (MBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) in >75% of the samples, suggesting widespread exposure in the United States to diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate or diisobutylphthalate, benzylbutyl phthalate, and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, respectively.

"We infrequently detected monoisononyl phthalate, mono-cyclohexyl phthalate, and mono-n-octyl phthalate, suggesting that human exposures to di-isononyl phthalate, dioctylphthalate, and dicyclohexyl phthalate, respectively, are lower than those listed above, or the pathways, routes of exposure, or pharmacokinetic factors such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination are different," reported Manori J. Silva and collaborators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Non-Hispanic blacks had significantly higher concentrations of MEP than did Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites.

"Compared with adolescents and adults, children had significantly higher levels of MBP, MBzP, and MEHP but had significantly lower concentrations of MEP," stated the investigators. "Females had significantly higher ...