Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are antimicrobial agents formulated in a wide variety of consumer products (including soaps, toothpaste, medical devices, plastics, and fabrics) that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In late 2014, the FDA will consider regulating the use of both chemicals, which are under scrutiny regarding lack of effectiveness, potential for endocrine disruption, and potential contribution to bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Here, we report on environmental exposure to TCS and TCC based on actual consumer use of antimicrobial household products during pregnancy. Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we determined the concentrations of TCS, TCC, and its human metabolites (2'-hydroxy-TCC and 3'-hydroxy-TCC) as well as the manufacturing byproduct (3'-chloro-TCC) as total (S-) concentrations in maternal urine and cord blood plasma from a cohort of 181 expecting mother/infant pairs in an urban multiethnic population from Brooklyn, NY recruited in 2007-'09. S-TCS was detected in 100% of urine and 51% of cord blood samples. The interquartile range of detected S-TCS concentrations in urine were highly similar to those reported previously for the age-matched population of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003/4, but typically higher than those reported for the general population (detection frequency = 74.6%). Urinary levels of S-TCC are reported here for the first time from real-world exposures during pregnancy, showing a median concentration of 0.21 �g/L. Urinary concentrations of ?-TCC correlated with its phase-I metabolite ?-2'-hydroxy-TCC (r = 0.49) and the manufacturing byproduct ?-3'-chloro-TCC C (r = 0.79); and ?-2'-hydroxy-TCC correlated with ?-3'-hydroxy-TC (r = 0.99). This study presents the first human biomonitoring data for TCC based on actual consumer exposures during pregnancy and provides additional data for environmental exposure to TCS in the maternal-fetal unit for an urban population in the United States.

Human biomonitoring of prenatal exposure to triclosan and triclocarban in a multiethnic urban population from Brooklyn, New York

248th National Meeting (2014)

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