Screening of phthalate and non-phthalate plasticizers and bisphenols in Sicilian women's blood.

The plastic accumulation and its degradation into microplastics is an environmental issue not only for their ubiquity, but also for the release of intrinsic chemicals, such as phthalates (PAEs), non-phthalate plasticizers (NPPs), and bisphenols (BPs), which may reach body organs and tissues, and act as endocrine disruptors. Monitoring plastic additives in biological matrices, such as blood, may help in deriving relationships between human exposure and health outcomes. In this work, the profile of PAEs, NPPs and BPs was determined in Sicilian women's blood with different ages (20–60 years) and interpreted by chemometrics. PAEs (DiBP and DEPH), NPPs (DEHT and DEHA), BPA and BPS were at higher frequencies and greater levels in women's blood and varied in relation to age. According to statistical analysis, younger females' blood had higher contents of plasticizers than older women, probably due to a more frequent use of higher quantities of plastic products in daily life. [Display omitted] • The problem of microplastics is widespread, making it possible to be absorbed by the human body. • PAEs, NPPs, BPs were evaluated as tracers of microplastics in women's blood. • PAEs, NPPs and BPs are endocrine disruptors and can thus have adverse effects on human health. • The results of these contaminants levels varied according to the investigated age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]