Prenatal exposure to environmental phenolic compounds and their association with childhood atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in the ECHO cohort

Phenolic compounds may be harmful to the developing fetus, but many have not been studied in-depth for adverse childhood allergic and respiratory health effects. We hypothesized that higher levels of phenolic compounds in prenatal spot urine would be associated with greater odds of childhood atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, and that child sex may modify these associations. 3198 mother-child paired cases were enrolled from 16 cohorts in the U.S. ECHO consortium. Fifteen phenols (e.g. benzophenones, parabens, bisphenols, triclosans) were measured from mother's urine during pregnancy using a multi-class chemical panel. Childhood outcomes included parent-reported atopic dermatitis (1466 mother-child pairs) between ages 0-3 years, and allergic rhinitis (901 mother-child pairs) and asthma (1662 mother-child pairs) between ages 5-9 years. Prenatal parabens were associated with increased odds of atopic dermatitis (odds ratio (OR) 1.13, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 1.02, 1.26). Benzophenones were associated with lower odds of asthma (OR 0.77, CI 0.66, 0.90). Compared to boys, girls demonstrated higher odds of parabens (1.21, CI 1.04, 1.42), benzophenones (1.18, CI 1.00, 1.38) and bisphenol S (1.21, CI 1.03, 1.43) being associated with atopic dermatitis, and of the benzophenones (1.46, CI 1.11, 1.93) being associated with allergic rhinitis. An association of benzophenones (0.66, CI 0.53, 0.83) with lower odds of asthma was stronger among boys. These findings suggest that prenatal paraben and other phenol exposures may adversely affect early-life allergic and respiratory outcomes, with sex-specific vulnerability. Novel, multi-modality approaches to reduce maternal phenol exposure during pregnancy are urgently needed to protect children's health.

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Journal
Environment International
Published
2025-10-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109883
Primary Topic
Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
Type
article
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article

Prenatal exposure to environmental phenolic compounds and their association with childhood atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in the ECHO cohort

Sheela Sathyanarayana, Mehtap Haktanır Abul, Mengling Liu, Diane R. Gold et al.
Environment International
Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
article

Prenatal exposure to environmental phenolic compounds and their association with childhood atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis in the ECHO cohort

Sheela Sathyanarayana, Mehtap Haktanır Abul, Mengling Liu, Diane R. Gold, Joanne E. Sordillo, Jenny Aalborg, Tina V. Hartert, Courtney C. Carignan, Sarah Dee Geiger, Julie Beth Herbstman, Thomas O’Connor, John D. Meeker, Akram N. Alshawabkeh, Abigail Gaylord, Carrie V. Breton, Rachel S. Kelly, Assiamira M. Ferrara, Tracey J. Woodruff, Leonardo Trasande, Rachel L. Miller, Catherine J. Karr, Kristen Lyall, Margaret Rita Karagas, Rachel A. Morello-Frosch, Jiwon Oh, Anne Lang Dunlop, Lori Hoepner, Dana Dabelea, Camilo Khatchikian, Yuyan Wang, Joseph M. Braun, Griffith Gao
article en

Abstract

Phenolic compounds may be harmful to the developing fetus, but many have not been studied in-depth for adverse childhood allergic and respiratory health effects. We hypothesized that higher levels of phenolic compounds in prenatal spot urine would be associated with greater odds of childhood atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, and that child sex may modify these associations. 3198 mother-child paired cases were enrolled from 16 cohorts in the U.S. ECHO consortium. Fifteen phenols (e.g. benzophenones, parabens, bisphenols, triclosans) were measured from mother's urine during pregnancy using a multi-class chemical panel. Childhood outcomes included parent-reported atopic dermatitis (1466 mother-child pairs) between ages 0-3 years, and allergic rhinitis (901 mother-child pairs) and asthma (1662 mother-child pairs) between ages 5-9 years. Prenatal parabens were associated with increased odds of atopic dermatitis (odds ratio (OR) 1.13, 95 % confidence intervals (CI) 1.02, 1.26). Benzophenones were associated with lower odds of asthma (OR 0.77, CI 0.66, 0.90). Compared to boys, girls demonstrated higher odds of parabens (1.21, CI 1.04, 1.42), benzophenones (1.18, CI 1.00, 1.38) and bisphenol S (1.21, CI 1.03, 1.43) being associated with atopic dermatitis, and of the benzophenones (1.46, CI 1.11, 1.93) being associated with allergic rhinitis. An association of benzophenones (0.66, CI 0.53, 0.83) with lower odds of asthma was stronger among boys. These findings suggest that prenatal paraben and other phenol exposures may adversely affect early-life allergic and respiratory outcomes, with sex-specific vulnerability. Novel, multi-modality approaches to reduce maternal phenol exposure during pregnancy are urgently needed to protect children's health.

Environment InternationalVol. 205
Roosevelt University (US), Dartmouth College (US), University of Southern California (US), Brigham and Women's Hospital (US), Northeastern University (US), Center for Infectious Disease Research (US), Kaiser Permanente (US), University of California, San Francisco (US), SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (US), Urbana University (US), Vanderbilt University (US), Brown University (US), University of Michigan (US), University of Rochester Medical Center (US), Woodruff Health Sciences Center (US), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (US), Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center (US), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US), University of Rochester (US), New York University (US), Drexel University (US), Columbia University (US), University of California, Davis (US), Michigan State University (US), University of California, Berkeley (US), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 60%
Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
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