Associations between exposure to a mixture of phenols, parabens, and phthalates and sex steroid hormones in children 6-19 years from NHANES, 2013-2016

Peipei Hu; Chengyu Pan; Weiwei Su; Angela Vinturache; Yi Hu; Xiaoyan Dong; Guodong Ding

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153548

Associations between exposure to a mixture of phenols, parabens, and phthalates and sex steroid hormones in children 6-19 years from NHANES, 2013-2016

Sci Total Environ. 2022 May 20:822:153548. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153548. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Authors

Peipei Hu¹, Chengyu Pan², Weiwei Su³, Angela Vinturache⁴, Yi Hu⁵, Xiaoyan Dong⁶, Guodong Ding⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: panchengyu@sjtu.edu.cn.
³ Department of Respiratory Medicine, the Affiliated Wuxi Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Alberta, Canada.
⁵ Center for Medical Bioinformatics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: dongxy@shchildren.com.cn.
⁷ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: dingguodong@shchildren.com.cn.

PMID: 35114227
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153548

Abstract

Background: Humans are typically exposed to mixtures of environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals simultaneously, but most studies have considered only a single chemical or a class of similar chemicals.

Objectives: We examined the association of exposure to mixtures of 7 chemicals, including 2 phenols [bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS)], 2 parabens [methylparaben (MeP) and propyl paraben (PrP)], and 3 phthalate metabolites [Mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono (carboxyoctyl) phthalate (MCOP)] with sex steroid hormones.

Methods: A total of 1179 children aged 6-19 years who had complete data on both 7 chemicals and sex steroid hormones of estradiol (E₂), total testosterone (TT), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were analyzed from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016. Free androgen index (FAI) calculated by TT/SHBG, and the ratio of TT to E₂ (TT/E₂) were also estimated. Puberty was defined if TT ≥ 50 ng/dL in boys, E₂ ≥ 20 pg/mL in girls; otherwise prepuberty was defined. Linear regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were performed to estimate the associations of individual chemical or chemical mixtures with sex hormones.

Results: The linear regression showed that 2 phenols, 2 parabens, and 3 phthalate metabolites were generally negatively associated with E₂, TT, FAI, and TT/E₂, while positively with SHBG. Moreover, these associations were more pronounced among pubertal than prepubertal children. The aforementioned associations were confirmed when further applying WQS and BKMR, and the 3 phthalates metabolites were identified to be the most heavily weighing chemicals.

Conclusions: Exposure to phenols, parabens, and phthalates, either individuals or as a mixture, was negatively associated with E₂, TT, FAI and TT/E₂, while positively with SHBG. Those associations were stronger among pubertal children.

Keywords: Bayesian kernel machine regression; Chemical mixtures; NHANES; Sex steroid hormones; Weighted quantile sum regression.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Bayes Theorem
Child
Environmental Exposure
Environmental Pollutants*
Female
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
Humans
Male
Nutrition Surveys
Parabens / analysis
Phenols
Phthalic Acids*
Young Adult

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
Parabens
Phenols
Phthalic Acids
phthalic acid