Prenatal triclosan exposure and cord blood immune system biomarkers

Triclosan is widely used as an antimicrobial agent and preservative that has been hypothesized to play a role in asthma and allergic disease. The limited body of literature regarding the allergenicity of triclosan has not evaluated prenatal exposure and subsequent potential effects on the developing immune system. The objective of the present study was to determine the association between prenatal urinary triclosan concentrations and cord blood immune system biomarker concentrations. Umbilical cord blood samples were obtained from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Biobank and were tested for three immune system biomarkers: immunoglobulin E (IgE), thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), and interleukin-33 (IL-33). Triclosan concentrations were measured in urine at 6-13 weeks gestation. No statistically significant associations were observed between prenatal triclosan concentrations and elevated concentrations of any immune system biomarker (n = 1219 participants). Longitudinal studies are necessary to determine how the observed findings at birth translate into childhood.