Biomonitoring of Mono(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate and Mono-N-Butyl Phthalate in Roma Children in Slovakia

Background: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) presents two of the most commonly used phthalate plasticizers with a wide use mainly in production of PVC products, food packaging, medical devices, cosmetics and personal care products. Objectives: The aim of study was to assess exposure to phthalates based on the determination of urinary concentrations of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP)and monobutyl phthalate (MnBP) as primary metabolites of DEHP and DnBP in Roma children (n= 26; boys=12; girls= 14; average age 9.08 ± 3.57) in condition of Slovak republic. Methods: The urinary concentrations of MEHP and MnBP were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Results: The distribution of the MEHP levels ranged from 4.11 to 177.32 ng.ml-1 and from 56,41 to 628,52 ng.ml-1 in MnBP. The median value reached 14.53 ng.ml-1 in MEHP and 117.06 ng.ml-1 in MnBP. Statistically significant difference between the MEHP excretion and the age of a child (p≤0.0079) within boys’ group was found. In addition, in the case of MnBP any statistically significant dependence of the MnBP concentration in the urine on the age of individuals (p≤0.7) was observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that sociodemographic and habitual behavior and lifestyle could affect concentration of phthalate metabolite in specific type of cohort (Roma population). DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n4p115