Biomonitoring of environmental phenols, parabens, and triclocarban is used to assess prevalence and relevance of exposure in public health. The routes of human exposure to these compounds include industrial pollution, pesticide use, food consumption, and use of personal care products.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which can be used in protective coatings on food containers and as composites and sealants in dentistry. Concerns over potential health risks of BPA have led to restrictions on the use of BPA in certain baby and children products (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2014). BPA alternatives, such as bisphenol S (BPS, 4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol) and bisphenol F (BPF, 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylmethane), have been introduced in the market to replace BPA (Liao et al. 2012). Some phenols are used as sunscreen agents for skin protection, and as UV filters in cosmetic products and plastics to improve stability (e.g., benzophenone-3). Phenols are also used as bactericides (e.g., triclosan) in soap and are found in other personal care products. Other chlorophenols have been used in the wood preservation industry as intermediates in the production of pesticides, and as disinfectants or fungicides for industrial and indoor home use. The manufacture of certain chlorinated aromatic compounds can also produce chlorophenols as byproducts.
Parabens, a group of alkyl (e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl) esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in personal care products, and can also be used in pharmaceuticals, as well as in food and beverage processing.
Triclocarban and triclosan have been used as an antimicrobial agent in consumer and personal care products, as well as in cleansing preparations in hospitals and other medical settings. Their uses for consumer soap, however, have been banned by FDA (the ban went into effect in 2017).
Examined participants aged 3 years and older from a one-third sample were eligible.
A sensitive method for measuring BPA, benzophenone-3, triclosan, four parabens, two dichlorophenols, and triclocarban was developed based on a previously published approach (Zhou et al, 2014). The method uses on-line solid phase extraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. With the use of isotopically labeled internal standards, the detection limits in 100 μL of urine are 0.1 – 1.7 micrograms per liter (μg/L), sufficient for measuring urinary levels of phenols, parabens, and triclocarban in non-occupationally exposed subjects.
Refer to the Laboratory Method Files section for a detailed description of the laboratory methods used.
There were no changes to the lab method, lab equipment, or lab site for this component in the NHANES 2015-2016 cycle.
Personal Care and Consumer Product (January 2019)
Urine specimens are processed, stored, and shipped to the Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA for analysis.
Detailed specimen collection and processing instructions are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory Procedures Manual (LPM). Vials are stored under appropriate frozen (20°C) conditions until they are shipped to National Center for Environmental Health for testing.
The NHANES quality
assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols meet the 1988 Clinical
Laboratory Improvement Act mandates. Detailed QA/QC instructions are discussed
in the NHANES LPM.
Mobile Examination Centers (MECs)
Laboratory team performance is monitored using several techniques. NCHS and
contract consultants use a structured competency assessment evaluation during visits to evaluate both the quality of the laboratory
work and the quality-control procedures. Each laboratory staff member is observed
for equipment operation, specimen collection and preparation; testing
procedures and constructive feedback are given to each staff member. Formal
retraining sessions are conducted annually to ensure that required skill levels
were maintained.
Analytical Laboratories
NHANES uses several methods to monitor the quality of the analyses performed by
the contract laboratories. In the MEC, these methods include performing blind
split samples collected on “dry run” sessions. In addition, contract laboratories
randomly perform repeat testing on 2% of all specimens.
NCHS developed and distributed a quality control protocol for all CDC and contract laboratories, which outlined the Westgard rules (Westgard et al,
1981) used when running NHANES specimens. Progress reports containing any
problems encountered during shipping or receipt of specimens, summary
statistics for each control pool, QC graphs, instrument calibration, reagents,
and any special considerations are submitted to NCHS. The reports are reviewed for
trends or shifts in the data. The laboratories are required to explain any
identified areas of concern.
All QC procedures recommended by the manufacturers were followed. Reported
results for all assays meet the Division of Laboratory Sciences’ quality
control and quality assurance performance criteria for accuracy and precision,
similar to the Westgard rules (Caudill et al, 2008).
The data were reviewed. Incomplete data or improbable values were sent to the performing laboratory for confirmation.
Refer to the 2015-2016 Laboratory Data Overview for general information on NHANES laboratory data.
Subsample weights
Urinary environmental phenols, parabens and triclocarban were measured in a full sample of participants ages 3-5 and a one-third subsample of participants 6 years and older. Special sample weights are required to analyze these data properly. Specific sample weights for this subsample are included in this data file and should be used when analyzing these data.
Demographic and
Other Related Variables
The analysis of NHANES laboratory data must be conducted with the key survey
design and basic demographic variables. The NHANES 2015-2016
Demographic Data File contains
demographic data, health indicators, and other related information collected during
household interviews as well as the sample design variables. The recommended
procedure for variance estimation requires use of stratum and PSU variables
(SDMVSTRA and SDMVPSU, respectively) in the demographic data file.
This laboratory data file can be linked to the other NHANES data files using
the unique survey participant identifier (i.e., SEQN).
Starting in the
2015-2016 NHANES cycle, the variable URXUCR (urine creatinine) will not be
reported in this file. URXUCR can be found in the data file titled “Albumin
& Creatinine – Urine”.
Detection Limits
The detection limits were constant for all of the analytes in the data set. Two
variables are provided for each of these analytes. The variable name ending in “LC”
(ex., URDBPHLC) indicates whether the result was below the limit of detection:
the value “0” means that the result was at or above the limit of detection, “1”
indicates that the result was below the limit of detection. For analytes with
analytic results below the lower limit of detection (ex., URDBPHLC=1), an
imputed fill value was placed in the analyte results field. This value is the
lower limit of detection divided by square root of 2 (LLOD/sqrt[2]). The other
variable prefixed URX (ex., URXBPH) provides the analytic result for that
analyte.
The lower limits of detection (LLOD, in ng/mL) for the environmental phenols,
parabens, and triclocarban:
Variable Name |
SAS Label |
LLOD |
URXBP3 |
Urinary Benzophenone-3 (ng/mL) |
0.4 |
URXBPH |
Urinary Bisphenol A (ng/mL) |
0.2 |
URXBPF |
Urinary Bisphenol F (ng/mL) |
0.2 |
URXBPS |
Urinary Bisphenol S (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
URXTLC |
Urinary Triclocarban (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
URXTRS |
Urinary Triclosan (ng/mL) |
1.7 |
URXBUP |
Butyl paraben (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
URXEPB |
Ethyl paraben (ng/mL) |
1.0 |
URXMPB |
Methyl paraben (ng/mL) |
1.0 |
URXPPB |
Propyl paraben (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
URXDCB |
Urinary 2,4-dichlorophenol (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
URX14D |
Urinary 2,5-dichlorophenol (ng/mL) |
0.1 |
Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues.
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
7005.984297 to 874638.01159 | Range of Values | 2747 | 2747 | |
0 | No Lab Result | 56 | 2803 | |
. | Missing | 0 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.28 to 99886.7 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2532 | 2532 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 119 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.14 to 425.5 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2513 | 2513 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 138 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.14 to 241.1 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 1162 | 1162 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 1489 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 177.6 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2392 | 2392 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 259 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 778.4 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 902 | 902 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 1749 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
1.2 to 3629.1 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 1739 | 1739 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 912 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 287.6 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 644 | 644 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 2007 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.71 to 1971.1 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 1186 | 1186 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 1465 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.71 to 24888.4 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2595 | 2595 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 56 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 6399.6 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2608 | 2608 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 43 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 41600 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2578 | 2578 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 73 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.07 to 1260.6 | Range of Values | 2651 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |
Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | At or above the detection limit | 2439 | 2439 | |
1 | Below lower detection limit | 212 | 2651 | |
. | Missing | 152 | 2803 |