Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, 362000, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Sep;30(42):95828-95839. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29125-0. Epub 2023 Aug 10.
There is growing evidence suggesting that exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pose significant health risks, including interference with the function of the reproductive system. However, there has been a lack of research focused on the impact of common environmental VOCs on the levels of sex hormones in the general female population. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis utilizing the database of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2013-2016). A total of 2633 participants were included in this study. The Pearson correlation model revealed the potential of co-exposure or co-toxicity between benzene and 2,5-dimethylfuran. According to GLM models, we discovered a significant positive association between blood levels of 2,5-dimethylfuran and benzene with testosterone levels in women. Subgroup analysis further identified that the women with underweight and healthy weight might be the high-risk subgroup. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was applied to further assess the univariate and bivariate exposure-response relationships between multiple VOCs. Our research systemically formulated the possible relationship between exposure to VOCs and female sex hormones, indicating the role of VOCs as a risk factor for endocrine disruption, especially benzene and 2,5-dimethylfuran. These findings have important implications for public health and call for further investigation.
越来越多的证据表明，接触挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）可能会对健康造成重大风险，包括干扰生殖系统的功能。然而，目前缺乏针对常见环境 VOCs 对普通女性人群性激素水平影响的研究。在这项研究中，我们利用国家健康和营养检查调查（NHANES，2013-2016 年）的数据库进行了横断面分析。共有 2633 名参与者纳入本研究。Pearson 相关模型揭示了苯和 2,5-二甲基呋喃之间存在共同暴露或协同毒性的可能性。根据 GLM 模型，我们发现女性血液中 2,5-二甲基呋喃和苯的水平与睾酮水平呈显著正相关。亚组分析进一步确定，体重不足和健康体重的女性可能是高风险亚组。贝叶斯核机器回归（BKMR）被应用于进一步评估多个 VOCs 之间的单变量和双变量暴露-反应关系。我们的研究系统地阐述了接触 VOCs 与女性性激素之间可能存在的关系，表明 VOCs 作为内分泌干扰的风险因素的作用，特别是苯和 2,5-二甲基呋喃。这些发现对公共卫生具有重要意义，并呼吁进一步调查。
