Longitudinal changes in oxidative stress and early renal injury in children exposed to DEHP and melamine in the 2011 Taiwan food scandal

[Display omitted] •A major public health issue in Taiwan in 2011 involved phthalate-tainted foods.•This cohort study followed three waves in affected children over five years.•Past daily DEHP intake from DEHP-tainted foods and time had significant effects on urinary ACR, with negative interactions.•Urinary melamine levels increased urinary ACR and oxidative stress over time.•Impact of DEHP-tainted foods on urinary ACR was highest in the first wave and diminished gradually. In 2011, phthalates, mainly di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were found to have been added to a variety of foods in Taiwan, increasing the risk of microalbuminuria in children. Exposure to melamine perhaps modifies that risk. This prospective cohort study investigates whether renal injury resulting from exposure to DEHP-tainted foods from the 2011 Taiwan Food Scandal is reversed over time. The temporal and interactive effects of past daily DEHP intake, current daily DEHP intake, and urinary melamine levels on oxidative stress and renal injury were also examined. Two hundred possibly DEHP-affected children (aged 50 μg/kg/day). Urinary melamine levels were found to correlate significantly with both urinary ACR and oxidative stress markers. The highest impact associated with exposure to DEHP-tainted foods in increasing urinary ACR of children was observed during the first wave, and the effect may partially diminish over time. These results suggest that continuous monitoring of renal health and other long-term health consequences is required in individu