Urinary concentrations of triclosan, bisphenol A, and brominated flame retardant in the association of triclosan with demographic characteristics and body fatness among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer

Authors: ILOZUMBA, MMADILI - University Of Florida; Shelver, Weilin; HONG, CHI-CHEN - Roswell Park Cancer Institute; AMBROSONE, CHRISTINE - Roswell Park Cancer Institute; CHENG, TING-YUAN - University Of Florida

Submitted to: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2022
Publication Date: 4/13/2022
Citation: Ilozumba, M., Shelver, W.L., Hong, C., Ambrosone, C.B., Cheng, T.D. 2022. Urinary concentrations of triclosan, bisphenol A, and brominated flame retardant in the association of triclosan with demographic characteristics and body fatness among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19. Article 4681. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084681.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084681

Interpretive Summary: Environmental contaminants such as triclosan, bisphenol A, and brominated flame retardants may cause hormonal changes in humans. This paper examined whether factors such as age, menopause, body mass index, race, and/or education level are associated with urinary concentrations of triclosan, bisphenol A, or brominated flame retardants in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Triclosan, which is common in many consumer products, was detected in urine of most patients while bisphenol A (a component of plastics before being phased out) was detected in about 10% of patients. Brominated flame retardants were essentially not detected in urine of the cancer patient cohort we studied. Postmenopausal women had lower urinary triclosan concentrations than premenopausal women and urinary triclosan concentrations were inversely related to body mass index. Identifying breast cancer patients who are at higher risk of exposure to these environmental contaminants may provide timely information to predict the disease progress, but more research is needed.

Technical Abstract: Background: Triclosan, bisphenol A (BPA), and brominated flame retardants are environmental estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds that may influence the prognosis of breast cancer. We examined the associations between demographic factors and urinary concentrations of these compounds in women with breast cancer. Methods: Among 302 women with incident breast cancer in the Women’s Health after Breast Cancer (ABC) study, overnight urine collection and standardized questionnaires were administered at diagnosis; anthropometric measures were obtained by trained staff. Triclosan, BPA, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), and tetrabromobenzoic acid (TBBA) concentrations were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Regression analysis was conducted to examine associations with age, body mass index (BMI), menopause, race, ethnicity, and education. Results: Urinary triclosan, BPA, and TBBA were detected in 98.3%, 6.0%, and 0.3% of patients, respectively. TBBPA was undetectable. Among patients with quantifiable values, the geometric mean concentrations were 20.74 µg/L (27.04 µg/g creatinine) for triclosan and 0.82 µg/L (1.08 µg/g creatinine) for BPA. Postmenopausal vs. premenopausal women had 48.6% (95% CI = -68.96%, -14.77%; P=0.010) lower creatinine-uncorrected urinary concentrations of triclosan. BMI =30 vs. <25 kg/m2 was associated with 37.2% (95% CI = -60.50%, -0.26%; P=0.049) lower creatinine-corrected urinary concentrations of triclosan. Conclusion: In the study population, breast cancer patients were commonly exposed to triclosan, and lower concentrations were seen in patients who were postmenopausal and had a -higher BMI. The knowledge may help identify patients who are at higher risk of exposure and could inform timely risk assessment.