Project R-9070

Assessment of the exposure and effects of parabens on epigenome-wide DNA methylation, thyroid hormone levels in newborns and neurocognitive abilities in children aged 4 (Research)

Parabens have been widely used as preservatives in personal care products, pharmaceuticals and food-stuff since the mid-1920s. The combination of their antimicrobial and antifungal potency and low toxicity accounts for the fact that parabens can now be found in about 80% of all personal care products, however, since the beginning of this millennium endocrine disrupting properties of different parabens were shown in animal experiments. Recent studies also found parabens in human cord-blood and placental tissue which leads to the question if prenatal exposure to parabens can have adverse effects on the fetus. Exposure to other endocrine-disrupting chemicals in utero has been shown to disrupt normal developmental patterns and result in adverse neurocognitive outcomes later in life. To investigate possible adverse effects of parabens, this study first determines the exposure to the four most widely used parabens in 200 placentas in the framework of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort in Limburg, Belgium. Subsequently associations with epigenome-wide methylation and thyroid hormone levels in newborn infants, and neurocognition in children aged 4 are investigated. Additionally, the role of DNA methylation in the mediation of the effects of prenatal paraben exposure on thyroid hormones and neurocognition is elucidated. The results of this research provide the necessary data for the risk assessment of parabens and therefore contribute to the protection of public health.

01 October 2018 - 30 September 2022