Pregnancy exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and alterations in maternal and newborn thyroid hormone levels
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.
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BibTeX
@article{prigent2026pregnancy,
title = {{Pregnancy exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and alterations in maternal and newborn thyroid hormone levels}},
author = {Gaëlle Prigent and Matthieu Rolland and Sarah Lyon-Caen and Catherine Viguié and Nicolas Cabaton and Patrice Faure and Benoît Chovelon and Christelle Corne and Dorra Guergour and Sylvain Carras and Amrit Kaur Sakhi and Cathrine Thomsen and Sam Bayat and Remy Slama and Claire Philippat},
journal = {Environmental Pollution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128739},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05779208v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pregnancy exposure to organophosphate flame retardants and alterations in maternal and newborn thyroid hormone levels
AU - Gaëlle Prigent
AU - Matthieu Rolland
AU - Sarah Lyon-Caen
AU - Catherine Viguié
AU - Nicolas Cabaton
AU - Patrice Faure
AU - Benoît Chovelon
AU - Christelle Corne
AU - Dorra Guergour
AU - Sylvain Carras
AU - Amrit Kaur Sakhi
AU - Cathrine Thomsen
AU - Sam Bayat
AU - Remy Slama
AU - Claire Philippat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Environmental Pollution
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128739
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05779208v1
AB - 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.
SN - 0269-7491
SN - 1873-6424
ER -