Introduction: Exposure to synthetic phenols is suspected of affecting child respiratory health, but epidemiological findings are not consistent and studies on exposure during infancy are lacking. We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to a mixture of phenols in pregnancy and in infancy and children's respiratory health.
Methods: Among 363 mother-child pairs from the SEPAGES cohort, twelve phenols were measured in weekly-pooled urine samples collected twice during pregnancy (second (T2) and third (T3) trimesters) and in infancy (2 months (M2) and 1 year (Y1)). Children's lung function was assessed through tidal breathing flow-volume loops and nitrogen multiple-breath washout at M2, and standard and intra-breath oscillometry at 3 years. Time-specific phenol exposure profiles were identified through cluster analysis and then studied in association with respiratory health using adjusted regression models.
Results: Two exposure profiles were identified at each point in time, characterized by low versus high levels of several phenol compounds. Overall, high exposure profiles were associated with altered oscillometry parameters at 3 years, particularly between high exposure profile at T2 and higher frequency-dependence of resistance (R7-19) and lower volume-dependence of reactance (ΔX); high exposure profile at M2 and lower reactance at 7 Hz (X7), and high exposure at Y1 and higher area of the reactance curve (AX), resistance at 7 Hz (R7), and volume-dependence of resistance (ΔR).
Conclusion: This study relying on repeated and accurate assessments of phenols exposure provides evidence of the deleterious effects of early-life exposures to a mixture of phenols on lung function in pre-school children.
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