Food-Associated Phthalate Exposure and Health Risk: Insights from Urinary Biomonitoring and Dose–Response Modeling

作者：Siyu Liu, Wencheng Guo, Qian Yu, Sijia Gu, Jie Zheng, Ke Xu, Pengyuan Deng, Yumeng Shi, Yarui Liu, Hongkai Zhu · 发表于：Environmental Science & Technology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.est.5c09831 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals、Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact、Biochemical Acid Research Studies

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemicals with oxidative potential. While diet is a major exposure pathway, especially for high-molecular-weight PAEs, the contribution of specific food categories to internal doses and their subsequent impact on oxidative stress remain inadequately quantified. In this cross-sectional study of 327 adults, we measured 14 urinary monoester metabolites (mPAEs) and linked them with 24 h dietary records and oxidative stress biomarkers. Monoethyl phthalate was the most abundant metabolite (median: 37.8 μg/g creatinine (Cre)), followed by the summed metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (∑5DEHP, 21.7 μg/g Cre). Redundancy analysis showed that the diet accounted for 33.6% of urinary mPAEs variance, with meat, poultry, protein-rich foods, and staples as major contributors. In mixture-based models, monobenzyl, monobutyl, and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalates were identified as key drivers of oxidative damage to DNA (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine), lipids (malondialdehyde), and proteins (dityrosine). Furthermore, nonlinear dose–response patterns were observed, with steeper increases in risk at low-to-moderate exposures. Cumulative risk assessment revealed that 7.3% of individuals exceeded safety thresholds, primarily due to di- n -butyl phthalate and DEHP. Our findings emphasize the value of integrating dietary data in exposure assessment and support incorporating mixture effects and nonlinearity into PAEs ...