Exposure to phthalates, phenols, and parabens mixture and alterations in sex steroid hormones among adolescents

Exposure to phthalates (PAEs), phenols, and parabens has been linked with sex hormone imbalance; however, previous studies were predominantly limited to adults and failed to examine the combined effects of these chemicals mixture among adolescents. Thus, we used the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2016) to explore the associations of urinary PAEs, phenols, and parabens biomarkers with sex hormones among participants aged 12–19 years old (n = 613). Latent class analysis (LCA) and quantile-based g-computation (QGC) were applied to assess the associations of the latent exposure profiles and chemicals mixture with sex hormone indicators, including steroid hormones and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), in adolescents and by sex. Using LCA, four latent classes were identified among all participants. Compared with the class characterized by "Low exposure", the class represented by “High PAEs” [mono (2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), mono (2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and monobenzyl phthalate (MBZP)] had lower level of estradiol (E₂) [β = −0.249, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.419, −0.08], free androgen index (FAI) (β = −0.258, 95%CI: −0.512, −0.005) and free testosterone (FT) (β = −0.248, 95%CI: −0.496, −0.001) among male adolescents. These results were echoed by the results in QGC analyses, where PAEs mixture was negatively associated with E₂ (β = −0.137, 95% CI: −0.263, −0.011), FAI (β = −0.198, 95%CI: −0.387, −0.008) and FT (β = −0.189, 95%CI: −0.375, −0.002) among male adolescents. By contrast, the associations of the identified latent classes or chemicals mixture with sex hormone indicators were generally nonsignificant among female counterparts, except for a positive association between PAEs mixture and SHBG (β = 0.121, 95%CI: 0.012, 0.23). Our study demonstrated that exposure to PAEs, particularly MECPP, MEHHP, and MBZP, would be a threat to the sex hormone homeostasis of male adolescents.