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Comprehensive analysis between volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure and female sex hormones: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2013–2016

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Abstract

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.

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Data availability

The data and materials used in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author. Access to the data and materials will be granted after a review of the request to ensure that the request is consistent with the ethical guidelines of the study and that the privacy and confidentiality of the participants are protected.

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Author notes

  1. Chengcheng Wei, Yao Pan, and Wenting Zhang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China

    Chengcheng Wei, Qingliu He & Zhaohui Chen

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, 362000, China

    Yao Pan

  3. The First Clinical College, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Wenting Zhang

  4. Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, 362000, China

    Qingliu He

  5. Department of Nephrology, Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease in Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Medicine of School, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China

    Yuan Zhang

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  1. Chengcheng Wei
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Contributions

Chengcheng Wei: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, software, visualization, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Yao Pan: conceptualization, methodology, writing—review and editing. Wenting Zhang: validation, writing—review and editing. Qingliu He, Zhaohui Chen, and Yuan Zhang: conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, supervision, writing—review and editing. Chiyue Hu: article revision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuan Zhang.

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Ethical approval

The NHANES data used in this study had already received approval from the NAHNES Institutional Review Board (IRB)/NCHS Research Ethics Review Board (ERB), and therefore, our study does not require additional approval. The present study was also conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their participation in the study. The consent form explained the purpose of the study, the procedures involved, and the risks and benefits of participation. Participants were also informed that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any time without penalty.

Consent for publication

All participants were informed that the results of the study may be published in academic journals or presented at academic conferences. They were also informed that their identities would be kept confidential and that their personal information would not be disclosed in any publication or presentation.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Wei, C., Pan, Y., Zhang, W. et al. Comprehensive analysis between volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure and female sex hormones: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2013–2016. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 95828–95839 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29125-0

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