Environmental Health Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon, South Korea.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Dec 15;696:133920. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133920. Epub 2019 Aug 14.
Owing to insecticidal activity at low doses with relatively low toxicity in humans, synthetic pyrethroids have been used widely for pest control in agricultural and domestic settings. Pyrethroids are suspected for potential endocrine disruption. However, the thyroid disrupting effects of pyrethroids, particularly in humans, is relatively underexplored.
This study aimed to report 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) concentrations in urine, and assess its association with serum thyroid hormone (TH) levels in a representative adult population of Korea.
Data obtained from representative Korean adults recruited in the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2nd round, 2012-2014) were analyzed. Urinary 3-PBA levels were associated with serum thyroxine (T4), total triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels among the Korean adult population.
Urinary 3-PBA levels among Korean adults were >3 times higher than those reported in Canada and the United States. Urinary 3-PBA levels showed negative association with serum T4, and this pattern was not changed after stratification by sex. For T3, the association varied by sex and exposure levels. Male demonstrated the same inverse association between urinary 3-PBA and T3, but female did not show such association. Among adults in the lower half of urinary 3-PBA levels, the association with T3 was significant, while that among the remainder was marginal. The association with T4 remained significant on sensitivity analysis, after controlling for other urinary chemicals.
Urinary 3-PBA levels in the general Korean adult population were found to be generally higher than those of other countries, and were associated with decreased TH levels. Considering the importance of THs, the public health implications of pyrethroid insecticide exposure warrant further studies.
由于合成拟除虫菊酯在低剂量下具有杀虫活性，且对人体相对低毒，因此已广泛用于农业和家庭环境中的害虫防治。拟除虫菊酯被怀疑具有潜在的内分泌干扰作用。然而，拟除虫菊酯对甲状腺的影响，特别是在人类中的影响，相对来说研究较少。
本研究旨在报告尿液中 3-苯氧基苯甲酸（3-PBA）的浓度，并评估其与韩国代表性成人人群血清甲状腺激素（TH）水平的关系。
分析了来自韩国全国环境健康调查（第二轮，2012-2014 年）中代表性韩国成年人的数据。在韩国成年人群中，尿液 3-PBA 水平与血清甲状腺素（T4）、总三碘甲状腺原氨酸（T3）和促甲状腺激素（TSH）水平相关。
韩国成年人的尿液 3-PBA 水平是加拿大和美国报告水平的 3 倍以上。尿液 3-PBA 水平与血清 T4 呈负相关，且这种模式在按性别分层后没有改变。对于 T3，关联因性别和暴露水平而异。男性表现出与尿液 3-PBA 和 T3 之间相同的负相关，而女性则没有表现出这种关联。在尿液 3-PBA 水平处于较低水平的成年人中，与 T3 的关联具有统计学意义，而在其余人群中则仅具有边缘统计学意义。在控制其他尿液化学物质后，敏感性分析显示，与 T4 的关联仍然具有统计学意义。
韩国普通成年人群的尿液 3-PBA 水平普遍高于其他国家，且与 TH 水平降低有关。考虑到 THs 的重要性，需要进一步研究拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂暴露对公共卫生的影响。
