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The association between dioxins and steroid hormones in general adult males: a cross-sectional study in an e-waste region of China

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Abstract

As observed among residents in electronic waste (e-waste) recycling areas, dioxins can disrupt the homeostasis of endocrine hormones and the balance of thyroid hormones. Few studies, however, have examined whether e-waste recycling activities influence steroid hormone equilibrium in the general adult male population. This study evaluated the association between steroid hormones and the physical burdens of dioxins in the general adult male population residing in an e-waste region. In September 2017, 74 adult males residing in an e-waste dismantling region were enrolled in the current study. Approximately 10 mL of blood was collected from each adult male, and the serum samples were separated through centrifugation. Then, the levels of dioxin and steroid hormones in the serum of the participants were measured. We treated dioxin levels as categorical variables in the general linear model according to quartiles (25, 50, and 75 percentile). Comparing the findings with a reference group (< 25th percentile), we noted significantly higher dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) level in men with low serum polychlorinated dibenzofuran-toxic equivalent (PCDFs-TEQ) level between 3.80 and 6.31 pg/g lipid (1933 vs. 1447 pg/ml) and low polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans-TEQ (PCDD/PCDFs-TEQ) between 8.57 and 15.11 pg/g lipid (1996 vs. 1360 pg/ml). Moreover, a significantly higher androstenedione (A-dione) level was found in men whose serum PCDFs-TEQ ≥ 11.34 pg/g lipd (2404 vs. 1848). What’s more, there were significantly higher 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) concentrations in low- and high-2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) groups (1.30–1.67 and ≥ 2.64 pg-TEQ/g lipid, respectively with 719 and 807 vs. 496, respectively). Our findings suggest that specific dioxin exposure may disturb normal DHEA, A-dione levels, and enzyme activity in the general adult male population in an e-waste region of China.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge local hospital staff, the participants, and their families.

Funding

The work was supported by the Zhejiang Province Public Welfare Technology Application Research Project (CN) (grant number LGF18H260008) and the Jiaxing Science and Technology Bureau (CN) (grant number 2020AY30005; 2017AY33075).

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Author notes

  1. Li Li Shi and Mei Qin Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Jiaxing University, 118 Jiahang Road, Jiaxing, 314001, China

    Li Li Shi, Jing Jian Dong, Xian Liang Sun & Hao Feng

  2. Taizhou Luqiao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Luqiao, Taizhou, 318050, China

    Mei Qin Wang & Yue Hua Wang

  3. Centre for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 3058506, Japan

    Shoji F. Nakayama, Chau-Ren Jung & Chao Chen Ma

  4. Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, 9200942, Japan

    Teruhiko Kido & Xian Liang Sun

  5. JSPS International Research Fellow, Centre for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan

    Xian Liang Sun

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  1. Li Li Shi
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Correspondence to Xian Liang Sun or Hao Feng.

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We obtained written informed consent from the participants. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Jiaxing University School of Medicine.

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Responsible editor: Lotfi Aleya

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Shi, L.L., Wang, M.Q., Nakayama, S.F. et al. The association between dioxins and steroid hormones in general adult males: a cross-sectional study in an e-waste region of China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 26511–26519 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09086-4

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