The LIFE PERSUADED project approach on phthalates and bisphenol A biomonitoring in Italian mother-child pairs linking exposure and juvenile diseases

Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), plasticizers used in several products of daily life, are considered as endocrine disrupters, therefore children exposure is particularly relevant. The LIFE PERSUADED project aims to define the following: (a) the evaluation of internal levels of DEHP’s metabolites and BPA in Italian children and their mothers, (b) the association of the exposure with puberty development and obesity diseases, and (c) the effects of exposure in juvenile in vivo model. The cross-sectional study has involved 2160 mother-child pairs, including males and females, children and adolescents, from urban and rural areas of North, Center, and South Italy. A structured questionnaire and a food diary are designed to evaluate the association between lifestyle variables potentially related to DEHP/BPA exposure and internal levels, through univariate and multivariate analyses. Two pilot case-control studies are carried out on idiopathic premature thelarche and precocious puberty (30 girls each group, aged 2–7 years) and idiopathic obesity (30 boys and 30 girls, aged 6–10 years), matched to healthy controls. BPA and DEHP’s metabolites are analyzed in urine samples from all recruited subjects. Clinical and toxicological biomarkers are evaluated in serum of case-control subjects. Moreover, the toxicity study is carried out in a juvenile rodent model exposed to mixtures of BPA and DEHP at dose levels recorded in children population. The scientific results of LIFE PERSUADED will contribute to risk assessment of BPA and DEHP.