Phthalates & Parabens Profile - Urine

Phthalates & Parabens Profile

The Phthalates & Parabens Profile can help identify everyday exposures to toxins from the use of items such as personal care products and plastic food containers. Environmental toxins should be evaluated as a "first step" to help patients get back on the road to wellness.

Why assess phthalate and paraben levels?

Exposure to phthalates and parabens is more common than you may realize. Phthalates and parabens are often classified as xenoestrogens, foreign compounds in the body functioning as endocrine disruptors by binding specifically to estrogen receptors.

Endocrine disruptors are associated with diseases such as:

Where are phthalates and parabens found?

Phthalates, also called "plasticizers", are found in numerous everyday products
such as:

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ester (DEHP) is a common additive to Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). This additive helps make PVC soft and pliable to be molded into eye-pleasing shapes. PVC products are marked with the plastic identification code 3. The analytes measured in this profile are metabolites of DEHP. In perfumes and air fresheners, phthalates are often listed as "fragrance".

Parabens are used as preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in personal care products, such as:

Test name(s)

0740- Phthalates & Parabens Profile*

Description

The Phthalates & Parabens Profile helps assess levels of phthalates and parabens in the body, which can help identify if exposures correlate with health issues. Phthalates and parabens are known as xenoestrogens, which bind to estrogen receptors and disrupt the endocrine system. Knowing a patient’s body burden of phthalates and parabens can assist in creating treatment plans to help achieve patient wellness.

Method

LC-MS-MS, Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Turnaround time

10 - 14 days

Analytes

mono-ethyl phthalate (MEtP)
mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP)
mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP)
mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP)
methylparaben
ethylparaben
propylparaben
butylparaben

*Not available in New York

Specimen Collection Instructions

• Phthalates-Parabens-KI.pdf

Sample Reports Example of how test results will be reported, including reference ranges and graphs indicating high and low percentiles of each analyte.

• Phthalates-Parabens-SR.pdf

Interpretive Guides Information on individual analytes and possible patterns that may be indicated on your test results. Further supplement recommendations, diet modifications, and other treatment options may also be included to help guide your treatment.

• Phthalates-Parabens-IG.pdf

Patient Briefs

• Phthalates-and-Parabens-PB.pdf

If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, download it here.

Articles

• President's Cancer Panel: Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk - With the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the unacceptable burden of cancer resulting from environmental and occupational exposures that could have been prevented through appropriate national action.

Books

• Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine - Your evidence-based resource for the biochemical basis of chronic illness. A must-have desk reference for laboratory testing associated with nutritional and metabolic medicine.

Podcasts

• Why is it important to understand total toxic body burden? - Part 1 - With so much in the news today about toxicity and the environment, it’s hard to ignore the chatter and and how it affects our health. Time to ask someone in the know.
• Why should we test for toxic exposure? - Part 2 - This is the second installment of my conversation with Dr. Walter Crinnion on toxicity and the environment. He is a wellspring of information on this subject, and he answers the question about the need for testing in this week's podcast.
• How do toxins affect mitochondria? - Part 3 - In this third installment of my conversation with Dr. Walter Crinnion, we consider the function of the mitochondria, those “cellular power plants” that provide most of our cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
• Immunotoxicity - First to the party - Part 4 - We take a deeper look into how toxins affect the immune system this week. Dr. Crinnion says immunotoxicity is usually the first problem that shows up in a person’s history, typically manifesting itself as allergies or asthma...
• Hey Fathead, your brain is an easy target for toxins - Part 5 - The brain is one of the largest fatty organs in our body. Dr. Crinnion says that many environmental toxins are fat-soluble and easily pass the blood/brain barrier.
• Who’s your mama? Is your generation at risk? - Part 6 - The endocrine system is another major target of environmental compounds. Did you know this system directly affects fertility and reproduction? Dr. Crinnion shares a story about the result of persistent, man-made chemicals being transfered from across generations...
• Which test is best? - Part 7 - With so many tests available to clinicians, it can be overwhelming for them to determine which one is the best for their patients. In this podcast, Dr. Crinnion gives his suggestions on testing for toxic exposure.

Presentations

• Evaluating Environmental Effects on the Body's Biochemistry and Cancer - This presentation explores the impact of environmental toxins on the body's metabolism. There are over 80,000 chemicals on the market that we are exposed to, with the added insult of combined exposures being more toxic to the body. Metametrix testing is explored and various analytes are explained as markers for toxicity.
• Environmental Toxicity and the Effect on Health - Toxicity is a growing concern for both doctors and their patients. Learn more about the impact of toxins on the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems and how Metametrix testing can help reveal a person's toxic burden.
• IFM: The New Paradigm of Medicine - This PowerPoint presentation was developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine. It provides a concise explanation of the new paradigm of medicine that focuses on underlying causes of disease and treatment from that level rather treating symptoms alone, the approach often taken by modern medicine.
• Laboratory Markers of Toxins and Detoxification - PowerPoint presentation on the detection of toxic burden in the body.

References

• Phthalates & Parabens References