(780) Is prenatal bisphenol and phthalate exposure associated with fetoplacental ratio?

Friday, January 31, 2025

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Coauthor(s)

AB

Ayushi Bommireddipalli, BS, MPH

Research Associate
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States

Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

Jacqueline A. Erler, BA (she/her/hers)

Medical Student
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey, United States

Coauthor(s)

WC

Whitney Cowell, MPH, PhD

Assistant Professor
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
KK

Kurunthachalam Kannan, PhD

Deputy Director of the Division of Environmental Health Sciences
NY State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center
Albany, New York, United States
LT

Leonardo Trasande, MD

Jim G. Hendrick, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
LK

Linda G. Kahn, MPH, PhD

Assistant Professor
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Shilpi S. Mehta-Lee, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
NYU Langone Health
Brooklyn, New York, United States

Objective: Fetoplacental ratio (FPR), the ratio of birthweight (BW) to placental weight (PW), is a well-described indicator of placental efficiency that is linked to future health risks. Bisphenols (BPs) and phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics, household products, and vinyl medical tubing. There is no strong evidence that prenatal exposure to BPs or phthalates is associated with neonatal BW, and yet studies show associations with pregnancy complications and adverse child health outcomes. We analyzed prenatal exposure to BPs and phthalates in relation to FPR, BW, and PW as a possible novel explanation.

Study Design: 401 participants in the [institution redacted] Children’s Health and Environment Study with data on prenatal chemical exposure, BW, and PW from singleton births were included. Chemical concentrations were log-transformed and adjusted for creatinine. Molar sums of metabolites represented exposure to low and high molecular weight (LMW, HMW) phthalates, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), antiandrogenic phthalates, and BPs; trimester concentrations were averaged. Linear regression models were adjusted for gestational age, fetal sex, maternal demographics, and chemical batch (Table 1). Analyses were stratified by fetal sex.

Results: We found no significant associations between chemical exposure and FPR in the combined sample. Among female fetuses, BPs and HMW phthalates were linked with higher FPR, the former association driven by BPS and the latter driven by DEHP. In models with BW and PW as outcomes, we observed no association with BW in combined or stratified models. We found significant negative associations for the same chemical groups and PW among female infants.

Conclusion: Among female fetuses, exposures to HMW phthalates and BPs are significantly associated with higher FPR due to reduced PW. The BP findings were driven by exposure to BPS, a recent BPA substitute in many consumer products. Our results suggest that BPs and phthalates may affect placental efficiency, with potential implications for pregnancy complications and child health outcomes.