Pregnancy exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and alterations in maternal and newborn thyroid hormone levels
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The recent tightening of regulations on the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) production has led to an increase in the use of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR). Although several toxicological studies suggest that these chemicals can disrupt thyroid homeostasis, epidemiological studies remain sparse. This work aims to investigate the associations between prenatal OPFR exposure and thyroid hormone levels in mothers and their newborns. The study population consisted of 442 mother-child pairs from the French SEPAGES cohort recruited between 2014 and 2017. Four OPFR metabolites -diphenyl phosphate (DPhP), di-n-butyl phosphate (DNBP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP), and bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) -were measured in two pools of multiple urine samples collected during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Thyroid hormones were measured in maternal sera at the second trimester, and in newborns from a heel-prick blood spot. Adjusted linear regression models were used to assess the associations between each OPFR metabolite and each thyroid hormone. Maternal urinary iodine, child's sex, and exposure window were considered in additional analyses as potential effect modifiers. DNBP and BDCIPP were positively associated with newborn total thyroxine (TT4) and tended to be negatively associated with maternal total triiodothyronine (TT3). DPhP concentrations were also negatively associated with maternal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Our results suggest that exposure to OPFR could influence thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women and their newborns, raising concerns about potential adverse impacts on fetal development and postnatal health.
Source: Environmental Pollution
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Institut pour l'avancée des biosciences, Université Grenoble Alpes, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Ecole d'Ingénieurs de PURPAN, Toxicologie Alimentaire, Université de Toulouse, Département de Pharmacochimie Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,090
Funders: European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Fondation de France, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement
Awards: G1049027822, Prenatal Exposure to Tobacco smoking and Air Pollution and Effects on offspring respiratory and neurodevelopmental outcomes: role of placental DNA methylation, G1507619958, Maternal Exposure to Mixed Organics pollutants: placental epigenetic marks and Risk assessment for offspring’s health, G2253310055, A Longitudinal Analysis of Effects of Early Life Exposure to Phenols on Health in Humans, Gut Microbiota in early childhood and Maternal Environmental exposures, G2865870179, G3010527862, G3143983181, Pregnancy, Air Pollution, Epigenetics, and Respiratory health, G3393223305, Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors during early life and child Neurodevelopment: the role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, G3943451830, G4220057169, G4495195004, G4562411463, are Organophosphate flame Retardants Affecting the NeuroDevelopment ? A Neuroimaging Investigation, G4656594441, G4814828950, Advancing Tools for Human Early Lifecourse Exposome Research and Translation, G4974902749, Prenatal exposure to air pollutants and child cardiovascular health – an approach exploring placental mechanisms, G513164356, G531161867, G5702163051, G62665937, An integrative strategy of testing systems for identification of EDs related to metabolic disorders, The Human Early-Life Exposome – novel tools for integrating early-life environmental exposures and child health across Europe, G6702880738, G6762900756, G6803667113, G7785646484, G7826751011
OpenAlex ID: W7167808879