Phthalates and phthalate alternative in Greenlandic adults: Urinary concentrations and exposure determinants

Phthalates are a series of widely used chemicals in a large range of products and have endocrine disruption potentials being detrimental to human health. To our knowledge, there are no reports on phthalate exposure in the general population in Greenland. This study evaluates the phthalate exposure profiles and the influence of characteristics of 602 adults across Greenland recruited during 2000-2019. The urinary concentrations of eleven metabolites of phthalates and the phthalate alternative di-(iso-nonyl)-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH) were measured using solid phase extraction prior to ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in negative electro-spray mode and standardized by the urinary creatinine concentration. Health risk assessment was performed by comparison of urinary metabolite levels of phthalates and DINCH using available health-based human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GV). The influence of characteristics on metabolite levels was assessed by multiple linear regression models. Metabolites of phthalates and DINCH were detected in more than 25 % of the spot urine samples. For certain phthalate metabolites, less than 3 % exceeded HBM-GV. Females had higher concentrations of phthalate metabolites than males. Participants from east and west regions had higher concentrations of some phthalate metabolites than those from north, Disko Bay and south regions. Age positively associated with metabolites concentrations of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP). DEHP metabolites concentrations increased with BMI and biomarker of marine food intake. Pregnancy and parity may influence the concentrations of phthalate metabolites. The phthalate exposure was age- and sex-dependent likely due to differences in lifestyle habits. Urinary concentrations of DINCH metabolites were higher in Greenlandic adults compared to other populations.