Table_1_Effects of a Plastic-Free Lifestyle on Urinary Bisphenol A Levels in School-Aged Children of Southern Italy: A Pilot Study.DOCX

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor (ED) frequently used in food packaging. BPA is used as a monomer in the manufacture of some food packaging. This study aimed to evaluate the urinary BPA concentration in an Italian pediatric cohort, testing the levels of this ED over a period of 6 months, evaluating the effects of a diet regimen with a reduction of Plastic Food Packaging (PFP). One hundred thirty Italian children were enrolled and divided into two groups “School Canteen” and “No School Canteen.” The first group consumed one meal at school using a plastic-free service for 5 days/weeks, while the other group did not modify their normal meal-time habits. The BPA levels were tested in urine samples at three time points: T0, is the time before the application of the plastic-free regimen diet; T3, 3 months later; and T6, 6 months later. A reduction of urine BPA levels was detected in the “School Canteen” group. In particular, the reduction was significant analyzing both the intra (among the three testing times) group and inter (between “School Canteen” and “No School Canteen”) group variability. Our results show the effects of a diet regimen with a reduction of PFP, demonstrating a connection between urinary BPA levels and food packaging.

双酚A（BPA）是一种常用于食品包装中的内分泌干扰剂（ED）。BPA作为一种单体，被用于某些食品包装的制造。本研究旨在评估意大利儿科队列的尿液BPA浓度，测试该内分泌干扰剂在6个月期间的水平，并评估减少塑料食品包装（PFP）的饮食方案的效果。共纳入一百三十名意大利儿童，并分为两组：“学校食堂”组和“无学校食堂”组。第一组在学校使用无塑料服务的一餐中，每周5天进行饮食，而另一组则未改变其正常的用餐习惯。在三个时间点测试了尿液中的BPA水平：T0，为实施无塑料方案饮食前的时期；T3，3个月后；T6，6个月后。在“学校食堂”组中检测到尿液BPA水平的降低。特别是，在分析组内（三个测试时间之间）和组间（“学校食堂”组与“无学校食堂”组之间）的变异时，这种降低具有统计学意义。我们的结果表明，减少PFP的饮食方案的效果，揭示了尿液BPA水平与食品包装之间的联系。