Metabolites of the substitute plasticiser Di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP) in urine of children and adolescents investigated in the German Environmental Survey GerES V, 2014-2017.

Metabolites of di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHTP), a substitute for ortho-based phthalate plasticisers like di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were analysed in 2112 first-morning void urine samples from children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, participating in the population representative German Environmental Survey on Children and Adolescents, GerES V 2014-2017. The major metabolite 5cx-MEPTP was detected in all urine samples with a geometric mean (GM) of 7.39 μg/L, with highest levels in the mg/L range. The GM for the other metabolites were 0.55 μg/L for 5OH-MEHTP, 0.54 μg/L for 5oxo-MEHTP and below the limit of quantification (LOQ) for 2cx-MMHTP. As already observed for other plasticisers and their substitutes, the youngest children (3-5 years) had 2-2.5-fold higher urinary DEHTP metabolite levels compared to 14-17 years old adolescents. High urinary levels of DEHTP metabolites were associated with high DEHTP concentrations in house dust. None of the samples analysed exceeded the toxicologically derived German human biomonitoring guidance value (HBM-I-Value) of 1.8 mg/L for 5cx-MEPTP. Comparison with DEHTP levels reported in other HBM studies worldwide confirmed a widespread exposure of children, adolescents and adults, with considerably higher exposures (2.6-7 fold) reported in the United States. In GerES V, exposure data for 12 different phthalates and the phthalate substitute DINCH were generated as well. Together with the data for DEHTP presented in this manuscript, GerES V allows a current and comprehensive overview on the concurrent exposure of German children and adolescents to common plasticisers. Further evaluation of aggregate exposure characteristics shall support efforts to reduce chemical hazard burden from plasticisers in Germany and beyond.

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