Various chemical additives are added to polymers, materials composed of high-molecular-weight compounds, to modify and improve the properties for diverse plastic applications. In most instances, these additives are not chemically bound to the polymer matrix and can leach from the materials, posing a threat to human health. Extensive studies have identified that many plastic additives, such as phthalates, bisphenols, and melamine, are highly hazardous. However, current studies provide little quantifiable information on human exposure to plastic additives through different pathways and the possible health effects caused by this exposure.
Human biomonitoring has become a “gold standard” in assessing chemical exposures and plays an important role in health risk assessment. By identifying which plastic additives people are exposed to and the subsequent health effects on the human body, a link can be established between plastic additive exposure and potential alterations in human health. Oxidative stress is one of the negative health effects of exposure to organic contaminants, characterised by an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in relation to antioxidant defence. Elevated ROS production can attack many important cellular molecules in the human body, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. A large amount of evidence has shown that oxidative stress can contribute, in varying degrees, to several diseases, including cancer, diabetes, metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases.
Therefore, this project aims to develop analytical methods for the determination of contaminants and oxidative stress biomarkers in human fluid samples. These methods will be further applied to investigate the associations between exposure to plastic additives and oxidative stress biomarkers, as well as the interactive effects of co-exposure to chemical mixtures. The findings are expected to contribute to the health risk assessment of human exposure to plastic additives and other environmental contaminants.
Conference Abstract
Cheng, Y., Zammit, I., Vilcins, D., Eaglesham, G., Prasad, P., Que, D.E., Liu, Y., Mueller, J.F. & Wang, X. Profiling of free and conjugated oxidative stress biomarkers in human urine by enzymatic hydrolysis and LC-MS/MS, Queensland Mass Spectrometry Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 20-21 February 2025.
