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Exposure to p-dichlorobenzene and prevalent endocrine-related reproductive cancers among US women

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Abstract

P-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) is a pest repellent and air deodorant that is commonly found in the household and public buildings. Exposure to p-DCB has been suggested to have potential metabolic and endocrine effects. Little is known about its association with endocrine-related female cancers. In this cross-sectional study, a nationally representative subsample of 4459 women, aged 20 years or older, in the 2003–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analyzed for the association between p-DCB exposure, measured as urinary concentrations of 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP), the primary metabolite of p-DCB, and prevalent endocrine-related female cancers (defined as breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers) using multivariate logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. Of the study participants, 202 women (weighted prevalence, 4.20%) reported being diagnosed with any of these endocrine-related reproductive cancers. Women with reproductive cancers showed a statistically significant increase in urinary 2,5-DCP concentrations (weighted geometric mean, 7.97 vs. 5.84 µg/g creatinine; p < 0.0001), compared to women without these cancers. After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that women in the moderate (1.94– < 28.10 µg/g creatinine) and high level (≥ 28.10 µg/g creatinine) of 2,5-DCP had significantly increased odds of endocrine-related reproductive cancers (odds ratio of 1.66 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.71) and 1.89 (1.08, 3.29), respectively), as compared with those in the low exposure group (< 1.94 µg/g creatinine). This study demonstrates a potential relation between p-DCB exposure and prevalent endocrine-related reproductive cancers in US women. Prospective and mechanistic studies would further explore these interactions and elucidate the pathogenesis of endocrine-related female cancers potentially associated with p-DCB exposure.

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The data is available at the link: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/Default.aspx

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MD Program, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA

    Georgia Wilson Pridgen

  2. Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA, USA

    Jianmin Zhu

  3. Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1501 Mercer University Dr., Macon, GA, 31207, USA

    Yudan Wei

Authors
  1. Georgia Wilson Pridgen
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  2. Jianmin Zhu
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  3. Yudan Wei
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Jianmin Zhu and Yudan Wei. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Georgia Wilson Pridgen and revised by Yudan Wei. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yudan Wei.

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The NCHS Research Ethics Review Board approved the survey and all participants provided written and informed consent.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Pridgen, G.W., Zhu, J. & Wei, Y. Exposure to p-dichlorobenzene and prevalent endocrine-related reproductive cancers among US women. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 78324–78331 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27876-4

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