Urinary bisphenol-A output in plastic industry workers: A possible indicator of occupational exposure

Abstract

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a known endocrine disruptor and a plasticizer, and occupational exposure has been said to be a potential source of endogenous BPA in humans. Objective: The study is aimed at evaluating residual urinary BPA of plastic industry workers in comparison with the controls, as an indicator of possible predisposition of these workers to xenoestrogens. Materials and Methods: BPA was evaluated in the urine of 108 (80 male and 28 female) workers of a plastic industry at Enugu, Nigeria, who were aged 21-40 years and who had not spent more than 10 years in the industry. The control group consisted of 88 (48 male and 40 female) age-matched and apparently healthy non-plastic industry workers. BPA was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using Ecologenia® Supersensitive BPA ELISA kit. Data analysis was done by using GraphPad Prism computer software. Results: There was signifi cant increase (P = 0.0002) in the mean urinary BPA output by the industry workers compared with the controls. Those who had spent ≥6 years in the industry showed a significant increase (P = 0.0001) in the BPA output compared to those who had spent <6 years. When the subjects were grouped according to gender, there were significant increases in urinary BPA in male subjects compared to the females (P = 0.0006 and 0.0487) both in control subjects and plastic industry workers, respectively. There was, however, no signifi cant difference (P = 0.0825) when the subjects were grouped according to age. Conclusions: The study showed that urinary output is not dependent on age, but on sex and duration of exposure to the raw materials. Subjects working in plastic industries, especially males, were found to be more exposed to the endocrine disruptor and should be checked for bioaccumulation.