Chemical exposure in childhood : a study on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in a Flemish birth cohort
- Author
- Fatima den Ouden, Ádám Cseresznye (UGent) , Liesa Engelen, Elias Maris (UGent) , Stijn Bosschaerts, Celine Gys, Paulien Cleys, Yu Ait Bamai, Roger Peró Gascón (UGent) , Lieselot Hemeryck (UGent) , Ellen De Paepe (UGent) , Sebastian Proost, Arnau Vich Vila, Jeroen Raes, Lynn Vanhaecke (UGent) , Marthe De Boevre (UGent) , Sarah De Saeger (UGent) , Tim S. Nawrot, Giulia Poma and Adrian Covaci
- Organization
- Project
-
- The Flemish exposome project: towards a comprehensive understanding of the life-course impact of dietary and environmental exposure on chronic low-grade gut inflammation (FLEXiGUT)
- DNA adductomics to study exposomic drivers of disease
- MYCOGUT: Mycotoxins and gut microbiota, an unresolved interplay towards human chronic low-grade gut inflammation
- Abstract
- Humans are exposed daily to contaminants such as organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs), legacy plasticizers (LPs), and alternative plasticizers (APs). To date, most biomonitoring studies in children have only focused on analysis of LP metabolites and a subset of PFRs and APs. This study investigated exposure to multiple PFRs, LPs and APs in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort quantifying 13 PFR metabolites in 655 urine samples, while we measured 8 LP and 13 AP metabolites in urine of 328 children. For PFRs, more than 50 % of children were exposed to TNBP, TPHP, TDCIPP, TCIPP and EHDPHP. More than 93 % of children were exposed to the measured LPs (DEP, DiBP, DnBP, BBzP and DEHP), while for APs more than 50 % of children showed exposure to DEHA, DEHTP, DINCH and DIDP. Concentrations of PFR metabolites were higher in summer, while the presence of a pet in the house was associated with higher LP metabolite concentrations. Risk characterization ratios (RCRs) for single compounds and hazard indices (HIs) for compound classes suggested no risk for adverse health effects due to PFR exposure. For LPs, two children showed a HI above 1, while for APs, ten children had a HI above 1. The results indicate widespread exposure to PFRs and plasticizers, with most children being exposed to levels that are considered safe. However, the current study confirms a shift in exposure from LPs to APs, implying the need for further research on exposure to multiple APs in future studies.
- Keywords
- Organophosphate ester flame retardants, Legacy phthalates, Alternative plasticizers, Human biomonitoring, Determinants of exposure, Risk assessment, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, CHILDREN, DUST, DETERMINANTS, ASSOCIATION, METABOLITES, POPULATION, TOXICITY, PARABENS, PFRS
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01KB01RDAT93QA1BKNG2SQGF77
- MLA
- den Ouden, Fatima, et al. “Chemical Exposure in Childhood : A Study on Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in a Flemish Birth Cohort.” ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, vol. 288, no. part 1, 2026, doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.123275.
- APA
- den Ouden, F., Cseresznye, Á., Engelen, L., Maris, E., Bosschaerts, S., Gys, C., … Covaci, A. (2026). Chemical exposure in childhood : a study on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in a Flemish birth cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, 288(part 1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123275
- Chicago author-date
- Ouden, Fatima den, Ádám Cseresznye, Liesa Engelen, Elias Maris, Stijn Bosschaerts, Celine Gys, Paulien Cleys, et al. 2026. “Chemical Exposure in Childhood : A Study on Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in a Flemish Birth Cohort.” ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 288 (part 1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123275.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- den Ouden, Fatima, Ádám Cseresznye, Liesa Engelen, Elias Maris, Stijn Bosschaerts, Celine Gys, Paulien Cleys, Yu Ait Bamai, Roger Peró Gascón, Lieselot Hemeryck, Ellen De Paepe, Sebastian Proost, Arnau Vich Vila, Jeroen Raes, Lynn Vanhaecke, Marthe De Boevre, Sarah De Saeger, Tim S. Nawrot, Giulia Poma, and Adrian Covaci. 2026. “Chemical Exposure in Childhood : A Study on Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in a Flemish Birth Cohort.” ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 288 (part 1). doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.123275.
- Vancouver
- 1.den Ouden F, Cseresznye Á, Engelen L, Maris E, Bosschaerts S, Gys C, et al. Chemical exposure in childhood : a study on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in a Flemish birth cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH. 2026;288(part 1).
- IEEE
- [1]F. den Ouden et al., “Chemical exposure in childhood : a study on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in a Flemish birth cohort,” ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, vol. 288, no. part 1, 2026.
@article{01KB01RDAT93QA1BKNG2SQGF77,
abstract = {{Humans are exposed daily to contaminants such as organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs), legacy plasticizers (LPs), and alternative plasticizers (APs). To date, most biomonitoring studies in children have only focused on analysis of LP metabolites and a subset of PFRs and APs. This study investigated exposure to multiple PFRs, LPs and APs in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort quantifying 13 PFR metabolites in 655 urine samples, while we measured 8 LP and 13 AP metabolites in urine of 328 children. For PFRs, more than 50 % of children were exposed to TNBP, TPHP, TDCIPP, TCIPP and EHDPHP. More than 93 % of children were exposed to the measured LPs (DEP, DiBP, DnBP, BBzP and DEHP), while for APs more than 50 % of children showed exposure to DEHA, DEHTP, DINCH and DIDP. Concentrations of PFR metabolites were higher in summer, while the presence of a pet in the house was associated with higher LP metabolite concentrations. Risk characterization ratios (RCRs) for single compounds and hazard indices (HIs) for compound classes suggested no risk for adverse health effects due to PFR exposure. For LPs, two children showed a HI above 1, while for APs, ten children had a HI above 1. The results indicate widespread exposure to PFRs and plasticizers, with most children being exposed to levels that are considered safe. However, the current study confirms a shift in exposure from LPs to APs, implying the need for further research on exposure to multiple APs in future studies.}},
articleno = {{123275}},
author = {{den Ouden, Fatima and Cseresznye, Ádám and Engelen, Liesa and Maris, Elias and Bosschaerts, Stijn and Gys, Celine and Cleys, Paulien and Ait Bamai, Yu and Peró Gascón, Roger and Hemeryck, Lieselot and De Paepe, Ellen and Proost, Sebastian and Vich Vila, Arnau and Raes, Jeroen and Vanhaecke, Lynn and De Boevre, Marthe and De Saeger, Sarah and Nawrot, Tim S. and Poma, Giulia and Covaci, Adrian}},
issn = {{0013-9351}},
journal = {{ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH}},
keywords = {{Organophosphate ester flame retardants,Legacy phthalates,Alternative plasticizers,Human biomonitoring,Determinants of exposure,Risk assessment,PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS,CHILDREN,DUST,DETERMINANTS,ASSOCIATION,METABOLITES,POPULATION,TOXICITY,PARABENS,PFRS}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{part 1}},
pages = {{13}},
title = {{Chemical exposure in childhood : a study on organophosphate flame retardants and plasticizers in a Flemish birth cohort}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.123275}},
volume = {{288}},
year = {{2026}},
}
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