Prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in a Brooklyn study of Afro-Caribbean women

Prior studies suggest ubiquitous fetal exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Insufficient information is available on the effects of BPA in underserved urban populations in the US. We describe prenatal BPA exposures in a predominately Afro-Caribbean immigrant population. Maternal third-trimester urinary concentrations of total BPA were measured in 181 mothers in Brooklyn, NY from 2007 to 2009. Mothers aged 18–45 y presenting at a prenatal clinic consented to study participation. Spot urine samples were collected once between the sixth and ninth month of pregnancy. The geometric mean concentration of total BPA was 0.12 μg l−1 (95% CI: 0.05–0.31). Total BPA concentrations were above the limit of detection in 9% of the mothers. Our results suggest that prenatal BPA exposure is low to non-detectable (< 0.02 μg l−1 in urine) among African American and Afro-Caribbean immigrant women residing in Brooklyn, NY. These results contradict evidence of prenatal exposure in prior studies of urban populations. Further studies should be conducted to determine whether there are associations between recent immigrant status and BPA exposures during pregnancy.