Racial disparity in maternal and fetal-cord bisphenol A concentrations

• Published in: Journal of perinatology Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 844 - 850
• Main Authors: Unal, E R, Lynn, T, Neidich, J, Salazar, D, Goetzl, L, Baatz, J E, Hulsey, T C, Van Dolah, R, Guillette, L J, Newman, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01-11-2012; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/700; 706/689; Adolescent; Adult; African Americans; Benzhydryl Compounds; Bisphenol A; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural differences; Employment; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Fetal Blood - chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; Health aspects; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic people; Humans; Male; Maternal-Fetal Exchange; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolism; Mothers; original-article; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Phenols; Physiological aspects; Placental transfer; Pregnancy; Pregnancy - blood; Race factors; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; White people; Womens health; Young Adult; United States; United States > US; ethnicity; race; endocrine-disrupting chemicals; pregnancy
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/jp.2012.12

Objective:
To determine if racial disparities exist in maternal and fetal cord serum concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA).
Study Design:
A nested cross-sectional study was performed from a cohort of 600 term nulliparas. In 27 patients (8 Caucasian, 8 African-American and 11 Hispanic), term pre-labor maternal serum and corresponding fetal-cord serum were analyzed for BPA.
Result:
African-Americans had the highest maternal serum concentrations, 10-fold higher than Caucasians (30.13 vs 3.14 ng ml
−1
;
P
=0.038). Hispanics had intermediate concentrations with a trend towards higher concentrations compared with Caucasians (24.46 vs 3.14 ng ml
−1
;
P
=0.051). Overall concentrations were 10-fold higher in maternal samples than fetal samples (14.1 vs 1.3 ng ml
−1
;
P
=0.001). Hispanics had higher fetal concentrations than non-Hispanics (2.05 vs 0.35 ng ml
−1
;
P
=0.025).
Conclusion:
We found significant racial/ethnic differences in maternal/fetal BPA concentrations. Further study is needed to determine if these differences reflect disparities in exposure, metabolism or placental transfer.