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Temporal association between serum prolactin concentration and exposure to styrene
U Luderer1, R Tornero-Velez, T Shay
1Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. uluderer@uci.edu
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|March 20, 2004
Summary
Occupational styrene exposure acutely increases prolactin (PRL) levels. Blood styrene concentration is a better indicator of this effect than air concentration, confirming styrene
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Endocrinology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Previous research suggests occupational styrene exposure elevates prolactin (PRL) levels.
- The anterior pituitary hormone PRL plays a role in various physiological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if styrene's effect on PRL secretion is acute.
- To compare blood styrene concentration as a dose measure against air concentration for predicting PRL levels.
Main Methods:
- 17 reinforced plastics industry workplaces participated.
- Measurements included personal air styrene, blood styrene, and serum PRL over 1-3 sessions.
- Linear multiple regression analyzed acute, subchronic, and chronic exposure effects on PRL.
Main Results:
- Acute blood styrene concentration strongly predicted serum PRL.
- A 10-fold increase in blood styrene correlated with a 2.06-fold increase in PRL.
- Serum PRL increased with styrene exposure in both sexes; women had higher baseline PRL.
Conclusions:
- Styrene exposure enhances serum PRL concentrations.
- The study supports an acute effect of styrene on PRL secretion.